Cherished Memories
by rubiksbox
Summary: Harry mysteriously disappears after his last night at Hogwarts. Ron and Hermione find him three years later, but in the last place they expected. Why did he run away? That's what they follow him to find out.
1. Lost Then Found

Cherrished Memories- Chapter 1

Lost Then Found

Disclaimer- I don't own Harry, Hermione, Ron or any of the other characters. If I did, I would have all the money, and definately changed that epilogue. For that reason, most of DH is being ignored.

"We've found him!"

"Where is he?" she asked, looking up as her friend bombarded into her flat.

"Some little town in the States," he answered, checking the little slip of parchment in his hand. "Bryan, Ohio."

"Why in the world would he go to America?"

"Don't know, but at least we 'do' know he's alive." She jumped up from her seat at her desk and hurried towards her bedroom. "Hermione, where are you going?"

"Where do you think?" she replied over her shoulder as Ron started after her. She entered her room and began pulling open drawers and throwing clothes pell-mell onto her bed, then ripped open her closet door and hauled out a suitcase to put the mess into. She stopped to push her mass of bushy brown hair out of her eyes and look to her tall friend. "I'm going to bring him back, and don't try to stop me." She resumed her frantic packing.  
"I can't believe he's been gone all this time and didn't even try to contact us or anything! Three years and not one word! He just up and leaves right from Hogwarts without even saying goodbye or leaving a note for anyone and... Ron, what?" He was constantly clearing his throat like Umbridge had in fifth year and it was getting on her nerves rapidly. She looked up to see him holding up a large bag that looked to be full to bursting. "What's that?"

"I'm going with you. You think I'm going to let you go halfway around the world to go after Harry by yourself?"

"What about..."

"Luna already knows I'm going. Hell, she even packed the bag for me." He pulled another slip of parchment from his pocket and read it. "You'd better hurry. We have reservations for a portkey to America at six." Hermione smiled.

"You knew I was going to want to go, didn't you?" He nodded. Hermione glanced at her clock and gasped. "We're not going to make it!" she cried. "It's fifteen till!" She finished cramming the rest of her clothes into the suitcase and slammed it shut. Ron chuckled to himself as he watched her try to zip it closed around a few articles that were hanging out. When the case was securely fastened, she gathered it up and ran for the door. "Come on, Ron! We've only got a few minutes to get to the portkey station!" Ron ambled out of her room.

"Calm down, Hermione. We're not going to walk there." He took her hand, and shouldering his bag, Apperated the both of them to the station with five minutes to get to the portkey. He led her over to a group standing around a yellow bus that read 'Defiance City Schools- Number 6' on its sides. They reached it and both put their hands on the side and waited, Ron calmly, Hermione impatiently.

The countdown clock above them started with the last thirty seconds and Hermione found herself wishing she had a time turner just to make it go faster. A gong sounded at the fifteen second mark for anyone not taking the portkey to clear the area and she closed her eyes, knowing what was to come.

"Five, four, three," Ron whispered next to her. She felt the pull from behind her navel and they were on their way.


	2. Portkeys, Food and Motels

Cherished Memories -Chapter 2

Portkeys, Food, And Motels

Disclaimer- I don't own Harry, Hermione, Ron or any of the other characters. If I did, I would have all the money, and definately changed that epilogue. For that reason, most of DH is being ignored.

When they arrived at their destination, Hermione felt quite disoriented. They were in a clearing in the middle of the woods.

"Where are we?" she asked.

"Just outside of Defiance," a young blonde witch answered before going off to meet her smiling family.

"Defiance?" Hermione questioned Ron. "I thought we were going to Bryan. Where in the world is Defiance?"

"From what I was told by the guy we're meeting in Bryan, Defiance is about twenty minutes away. We have to Apparate to his office. He owled me a photograph so that we would be able to picture where we want to go." He pulled the picture from his pocket and handed it to her. "This was the safest place for the portkey to bring us all to." He pulled her away from the bus as people started gathering around for the return trip. "Now, let's go find this guy so we can get a room or something and get some food. I'm starving!" She let him lead her to a spot and once again Apparate them to a new place.

"You Ron Weasley?" asked a male voice when they'd reached their destination. Hermione turned to see an older man with dark gray hair and brown eyes smiling at them from a doorway.

"That's me," Ron replied. The man stepped forward and held out a set of keys and a map.

"It's the blue Neon at the end." Ron nodded hesitantly and they followed the man to a door leading out of the building.

The man pointed to the right to show them which way to their car and told them that they wanted to head north to get into town. Then smiling at them and wishing them luck, he went back inside and shut the door. Ron looked down at the car keys in his hand.

"You don't even know how to drive, do you?" Hermione chuckled. He looked up at her and shook his head.

"I'm a wizard, Hermione. Why in Merlin's name would I need to know how to drive? The most I've ever done behind the wheel of a car is with my dad's old Anglia and 'it' did all the driving, Harry and I just sat there."  
Hermione held out her hand for the keys and headed in the Neon's direction when he'd handed them over. They located their car and got in. Hermione started the car and buckled her seatbelt, insisting that Ron do the same, then pulled the car out of its slot and headed north like they'd been told.

Five minutes later, they were passing a cemetery on their right and then a few stores and Ron spied a Burger King on their left. He gave her a begging look and his stomach let out a loud growl. Hermione laughed and pulled into the turning lane to the restaurant.  
"Ron, wait," she said suddenly as he moved to get out of the vehicle when she'd parked it. He turned back to her with a questioning look.

"What is it?" he asked.

"We don't have any American Muggle money! How are we going to get food or a room if we don't have the right money?" Ron smiled and pulled a roll of green paper out of a pocket in his bag.

"Taken care of," he replied. "Changed it at Gringott's right before I came to collect you." He handed it to her, swung open the door and exited the car. Hermione sat dumbfounded for a second, then followed him.

"Ronald Weasley," she began, running to catch him just as he entered the building. "How long have you known about this?" she continued in an angry whisper when she'd caught up.

"Two days. And I can't say anything else right now because you'll blow up in the middle of the restaurant." She fumed silently, but nodded her head curtly.

After ordering their meals they sat in the center of the dining area, and began eating. Hermione noted as they were finishing that the receipt said it was only about two in the afternoon. She'd forgotten about that in her hurry to pack. That meant it was nearing seven in England, which is what time her body was telling her it was. Soon, they were going to be tired and wanting to go to bed, and needed to find a place to do that.

She raised her head to look out the window and had to do a double take. Harry had just gone by in a black car! She grabbed Ron's hand and dragged him out of the restaurant at top speed, ignoring the looks they were recieving and explained what she had just seen when they reached the parking lot as they ran to their car. Unfortunately, she'd not seen which way Harry had gone, and couldn't see the car he'd been driving in either direction. She sighed with disappointment as they got in to start their search for somewhere to spend the night.  
"Here's a listing for a motel on east High Street, where ever that would be. Colonial Manor," Ron said, reading the map as they headed further north into the heart of the town. Hermione looked around herself when they reached what appeared to be the town square with a large castle-like building to their left. When she faced forward and saw the name of the street ahead of them, she got into the right hand turn lane.

"Where are you going?" Ron asked.

"You said Colonial Manor is on east High Street. We just turned onto High, and we're heading east."

They both started to search for the motel, not finding it for another mile or so, and Hermione pulled into the parking lot, begining to feel the time difference kicking in. To her and Ron, it was now after seven in the evening and although it being late May, and the sun was going down later each day all over the world, the fact that it was bright as noon at the moment simply irritated her.

A woman came to the desk when they'd entered the lobby and asked if she could help them. Ron handled their check in, asking for two rooms adjacent to each other. Hermione handed over the amount the woman requested for the night and taking her arm with a thank you, Ron led his friend, who was getting angry again, back outside and to the left around the building.  
"You'll have to move the car," he muttered to her as he read the numbers on the doors, trying to match them with the keys he'd been given.

"And 'you' still have to explain how it is that you've known where Harry is for two days and didn't say one bloody word to me about it!" she hissed back.

"I was sort of hoping you'd forget that bit," he muttered as he opened one of their rooms. He held out the key to her. She snatched it from his hand and forced him inside with a shove.

"I want to know, and I want to know 'now', Ronald Weasley!" she thundered as soon as the door slammed shut behind her.

"It's not that big a deal, Hermione. I just found out two days ago that Harry was here in the States, but not his 'exact' whereabouts. It took until this morning for us to narrow it down to the city and state. I didn't want to take you on a wild goosechase around the States. It's a big country, you know. That's all it is. I had every intention of telling you what I know when we had settled in. Really I did." She gave him a skeptical look.

"That's all? Then why didn't you tell me this when you first located him?"

"'Cause I knew you'd do exactly what you did." She looked confused. "You bolted down the corridor and told me that you were 'going to bring him back', and for me to not try and stop you. I only came with you to keep any overemotional scenes from happening when we 'do' find him. I mean, what if he doesn't 'want' to go back? What if he's married and has a kid or two? Did you think of that?" He gathered from her stricken expression that she hadn't. She sat heavily on the edge of the bed.

"He can't," she whispered desperately.

"I know how you feel about him, Hermione. I know that you've been in love with the bloke since Hogwarts, I think since first year in fact, but... we have to face the fact that he 'may' be." With that, he turned and left the room, closing the door quietly behind him, and leaving her to think about possibly having lost Harry without even having won him in the first place.

She lay on her side and buried her face in the pillow as she started to cry softly.


	3. Locating Harry

Cherished Memories - Chapter 3

Locating Harry

Disclaimer- I don't own Harry, Hermione, Ron or any of the other characters. If I did, I would have all the money, and definately changed that epilogue. For that reason, most of DH is being ignored.

Hermione woke the next morning, disoriented.

She looked around the unfamiliar room and remembered. Ron had found Harry! She jumped off the bed and headed into the bathroom for a shower before realizing that in her anger at Ron's not telling her that he'd known Harry was in America for two days, she'd not brought her bag with her. Sighing, she turned and headed to the door, opened it and remembering to pocket the key to the room before closing it up, she headed to where the car sat. She retrieved her bag from the back of the vehicle and straightened just in time to see the same car that Harry had been in the day before! She remembered the dark red stripe that had run the length of the car's body.

Hermione watched it this time, wanting to know where it was headed, and throwing her bag back in the back seat, she got into the Neon and had just clicked her seatbelt when she tore out of the lot after him. She remembered to keep her speed down, but tried to catch up to his car as quickly as she could, keeping him in sight as he continued to head east on High Street. He turned left at a grocery and video store and parked near the door. She stopped far enough away so that she could see him clearly without him spotting her. She had to be sure it was really him. Her breath caught when she'd recieved her conformation.  
Sure enough, Harry Potter got out and headed into the video area, apparently making a return from the cases he carried with him. When he didn't come out after a few minutes, she dared to move closer to his car to get a closer look at it. She got as close as the row it was in when he emerged from the building. She quickly pulled her car into a spot and ducked her head while watching him through her long brown hair as he returned to his vehicle and left the lot. She followed after a few seconds, leaving only after two cars had moved between them.

"Where are you going now, Harry?" Hermione whispered. "Home, possibly to a wife and children?" she continued. He turned left at the intersection where she'd seen him at the motel. She followed, still keeping a distance from him. He led her out past an apartment complex and factories to an enormous house near a patch of woods a mile or so away from town. She pulled to the side of the road as he parked his car and got out, heading into the house. A mini-van was also parked in the drive.

She'd been afraid of this. Harry had a family now. She was about to turn the car around and head back to the motel when a man and woman came out the front door, the man carrying a file and the woman gesturing excitedly. Hermione could hear her voice but not the words as they got into the van, pulled out of the drive and headed away from her. Hmmm. Maybe he didn't have a family after all.

Another van passed her and pulled into the drive, parking directly behind Harry's car. The dark haired driver got out, also carrying files with him and entered the house. He came back out a few minutes later when she was contemplating what to do next. He turned his car back her direction and she got out to flag him down.

"Can I help you?" he asked, rolling down the window when he'd reached her.

"I'm sort of lost," she replied, "Could you tell me exactly where I am?" He smiled at her accent.

"From England, huh?" She nodded. "Well, you're about a mile south of Bryan." He looked behind him. "You head that way and you'll be going to Defiance." He faced forward again. "This way leads you back to town." Hermione gestured to the house.

"Do you know the owner of this house?" He looked back at it and turned a questioning look to her. "See I really need to use the loo. The bathroom," she clarified when he scratched his head in confusion.

"Oh! Well, I don't think Harry would have a problem with that, he's from England too, as a matter of fact. Pretty as you are, he'd probably treat you to breakfast, too. Well, you just tell him that Jake said for him to be nice and he'll let you use his bathroom."

She thanked him and he waved as he drove away. A third car pulled into the drive just after she did and a woman got out this time.

"May I help you?" she queried as she headed to the front door.

"Um, Jake said that I could use your bathroom." The woman smiled as she opened the door.

"Well, it's not 'my' bathroom, honey, it belongs to my boss. He owns the house."

Hermione heaved an inward sigh of relief. This woman wasn't Harry's wife. She followed into the classically decorated front room.

"Through that hall, second door on your left," the woman told her.

Hermione thanked her and was just about to close the bathroom door when she heard Harry's clear tenor voice call out from somewhere else in the house.

"Trina? Is that you?"

"Yeah, boss! Be there in a second!"

"Could you find me the file on Marcus's wife, please? I think I have a new lead on the case."

"Sure thing, Harry!"

Case? What in the world were they talking about? Hermione closed the door swiftly as she heard Trina heading her direction now. She used the facilities and returned to the front room to find Trina sitting at the desk.

"Thank you," she said.

"No problem. Anything else I can help you with?" Harry's voice called out before Hermione could answer.

"Trina? Did I remember to file the closing of Greg Hertley's case? I found his wife with that truck dealer and now they're getting divorced, so he doesn't need me to snoop around for him anymore."  
Trina smiled apologeticaly to Hermione. "Yes, you did!" she called back. "He'd be lost without me."

"What does he mean 'snoop around'?" Trina smiled broadly.

"He's a private detective. Anyone you need to be found, he finds them for you." Hermione smiled.

"Then I'm in the right place. I came to America to find a friend of mine, I was told he was in the area, but so far I haven't had any luck. You think he'd be able to help me?" Trina's smile widened.

"Hun, he'd be happy to, trust me. Harry! You got a free minute to talk to this woman out here?" Hermione waited a few seconds tensely, dreading a negative answer, now that she was so close to her goal.

"Yeah! Send her back to my office!" came the reply to her relief.  
"Back down the hall, last door on the right." Hermione thanked her again, and with her heart pounding, her palms sweating, she headed down to the office she'd been directed to.

She knocked softly when she reached it and stepped into the room. Harry's back was to her. He was filing a few things in the cabinet behind his desk.

"Be with you in just a second," he said distractedly. He closed the drawer and turned, his green eyes meeting hers and widening with shock. Hermione was the first to speak.

"Hello, Harry."


	4. The Reason

Cherished Memories - Chapter 4

The Reason

Disclaimer- I don't own Harry, Hermione, Ron or any of the other characters. If I did, I would have all the money, and definately changed that epilogue. For that reason, most of DH is being ignored.

Harry stood and gaped at Hermione for a few seconds. He didn't seem to be able to get his vocal cords working. Hermione tried again.

"Hello, Harry," she repeated.

"Hermione," he said in a hoarse whisper. She moved further into the room and turned to close the door. Harry's eyes widened with a bit of fear when she crossed the room to stand in front of his desk. "Why are you here?" he asked in the same whisper.

"I could ask you the same thing, Harry." He cleared his throat and sat down.

"No, I mean, why did you come here to my office?" He gestured for her to take a seat.

"Why do you think?" she asked as she scooted her chair closer to the desk. "I came looking for 'you'. You ran off without a word to me, Ron, anyone. How could you do that to us, to 'me', one of your best friends?"

"If I remember correctly, Hermione, when I left, you and I were more than friends."

"All the more reason for me to wonder why it is that you left without a word!" she exclaimed. Harry turned his chair toward the windows behind him before answering.

"It was a mistake. We were drunk and it shouldn't have happened..." he muttered.

"So instead of trying to talk with me about it, you decide to run away to the United States?" she inturrupted. "Forgive me, Harry, but although I know how clueless you can be about things like this, even 'you' would know that's not a really great way to handle it. And why do you think it was a mistake?"

"I just told you, Hermione," he said, spinning back around. "We were drunk. Our rationality was muddled. Do you really think it would have happened if we'd been stone sober?" He sighed and continued. "Plus your parents had just been killed by Voldemort. I should have been comforting you, not..."  
She broke in at that moment. "Harry, I told you... ."

"Hermione," Harry shook his head. "I think I need to tell you what was going through my mind at the time. But in order to make you totally understand, I have to start at the begining of that night."-

Harry walked along the seventh floor corridor in deep thought. It was over. Voldemort was finished, the Death Eaters were all in Azkaban, and he, himself, was finally free to live his life. So what was he going to do? He looked up and realized he'd reached the Fat Lady's portrait, and was about to give the password when it swung open from the inside. Ron tumbled out and landed face first on the floor. Harry knelt down to help his friend up.

"Thanks, Harry," Ron said, glaring at the now closed portal. "Those gits want me to go down to Hogsmeade and get some firewhiskey from the Hog's Head." He brushed the knees of his jeans and the sleeves of his shirt.

"They think 'cause I'm eighteen now, they'll give it to me without any questions, so I'm the one that got drafted for the job. Want to come with?" He gave Harry a hopeful grin. Harry shrugged noncommitally.

"Sure, why not? Maybe it'll help clear my head." He turned and started back down the corridor, Ron quickly falling into step with him.

"What's wrong with your head?" he asked.

"Nothing, really. Just thinking about what I'm going to do now that I don't have to worry about Voldemort anymore."

"You got a while to figure that out, mate," Ron said dismissively as they headed down another staircase. "We're not leaving until tomorrow, and then we've got the whole summer before we really have to make any plans. You're still coming home to the Burrow with me, aren't you?" Harry said that he was. "Mum would be really disappointed if you decided to go back to your aunt and uncle's instead."

"Are you kidding?" Harry laughed sarcastically. "Not a chance of 'that' happening. I'm done with them for good. Besides, I really want to see your new nephew."

Bill and Fleur had owled Ron earlier in the day to let him know that there was a new Weasley in the family, their son, William Arthur, named after his father and his late grandfather.

"Did the owl say how your mum was doing?" Ron nodded as they stepped out onto the grounds in the fading sunlight.

"Said she was taking it as well as she could. But Harry, dad's been gone for almost a year now. Voldemort killed him the last time he raided the Ministry."

Harry squinted against the glare of the last bright sunbeam reflecting off the Black Lake and nodded, noticing that his friend had no problem saying the name now that the threat of his return was gone forever.

"Back when he thought there may have been a chance that the prophecy survived somewhere else. Yeah, I remember." He waved at a group of Hufflepuffs that had noticed them.

He also remembered that he'd had another dream in which Arthur had been attacked. He'd woken up screaming, startling his friend from a more pleasant dream. He'd stumbled over his words in attempting to tell Ron what had happened in his dream, but by the time the Ministry had gotten to the site, it was too late. Arthur Weasley was buried that summer in the Weasley family graveyard in the woods behind the Burrow.

"I thought she'd be happy to know that dad's name is going to go on for another generation," Ron continued. They reached Hogsmeade as it became fully dark, heading straight for their destination.

As the others had thought, Ron met with no contest about purchasing the firewhiskey. Harry believed that it had something to do with him being there as well, but didn't voice his thoughts. They lugged the four cases they were given back up to Gryffindor tower, watching the whole way for Filch and Mrs. Norris.

"How is Hermione doing?" Harry puffed as they climbed the last staircase.

"I think she's still in shock. She hasn't been eating and hasn't really said a word to anyone since it happened."

"Her parents are dead, Ron. Voldemort killed them because she was a threat to him and a Muggleborn at that."

"Yeah, I know. But, Harry, it's been two weeks and she looks like hell."

"I've talked to her about her having to eat, but she's grieving right now, Ron."

"All clear," Ron said to the portrait. It swung open and they were greeted with loud cheers and whistles at having accomplished their task. They were relieved of their burden and continued the conversation until Harry spotted Hermione in a corner near the windows, her chin resting on her hand on the windowsill as she stared blankly out of it at the bright moonlit night. Someone handed him a glass and he looked down to see what it was.

Firewhiskey.

All eyes were on him to see if he would drink it. All except Hermione's. He was going to have to talk to her again. He wasn't looking forward to it after the last one sided discussion two days previous. He raised the glass to his lips and after only a moment's hesitation, slammed it back. The alcohol burned its way down to his stomach, making him shudder. The rest of the Gryffindors cheered when he handed the glass back and made his way to where his bereaved friend sat alone. She looked up at him briefly when he approached her.

"Hermione, why don't you come over and get something to eat? You must be starving." She shook her head, tears beginning to roll down her cheeks. Harry sat down on the bench seat next to her.

"You haven't eaten in almost two days, Hermione. I know because you don't leave the tower, and I brought you that sandwich then. Now you can't tell me that you aren't hungry."

"I don't want to eat anything right now," she said softly.

"Do you want to talk about it?" She didn't answer. Harry sighed and stood to head up to bed, making it only two steps when he heard her begin sobbing. He turned back to see her with her face buried in her hands. Her breath was catching in harsh gasps and he knew he needed to calm her down. He hurried over to where the firewhiskey still sat, the others were making short work of the first case, grabbed one of the bottles and a glass, then went back to Hermione. He opened the bottle, poured some into the glass and held it out to her.

"Drink this," he ordered softly. She lifted her head and took the whiskey from him.

"What is it?" she croaked through her tears.

"Don't worry about that now, just drink it." He sat back down beside her as she sipped the dark amber liquid.  
"That's nasty!" she coughed out a second later. Harry wouldn't let her put the glass down.

"Finish it, it'll help calm you down. I don't want you to start hyperventilating on me."

Hermione grimaced but did as he asked. He poured some more into her glass when it was empty. She saw the label on the bottle.

"Firewhiskey? How did you get this!" She snatched the bottle out of his hand. He shrugged, not really wanting to answer her. Fortunately, she didn't seem to really be searching for one. Still, he was more than a little shocked when she raised the bottle to her lips and began to drink the alcohol as quickly as she could.

"Hermione!" Harry admonished, wrenching it away from her. "I only gave you that bit to calm you down. You haven't eaten in almost forty-eight hours. This will go right to your stomach and make you sick."

She stared at him through slightly glazed eyes for a minute. His breath caught at her curious expression. When she looked away, Harry was unable to stop himself from wondering why she'd looked at him in that way. The thoughts he came up with were enough to make him swallow a large draught of the firewhiskey himself. Lowering the bottle, he saw that she was watching him once more, she held out her hand.  
"I don't think so, Hermione. Like I said, you haven't eaten all day, and I don't want you to get sick." She grabbed the bottle from him.

"If it'll make you feel better, then go get me a sandwich or something." She tipped the bottle to her lips again. Harry sighed and got up to head to the table where the food sat. He filled a plate for Hermione, and said goodnight to a few of his fellow Gryffindors that were on their way up to the dormrooms for bed. The room was getting quieter by the minute, until only Ron, Neville, Ginny, Seamus and Dean were left.

They were still sitting around the fireplace, laughing and talking amongst themselves. Ginny held Dean's hand tightly in hers when Harry caught her eye. He smiled at her to let her know he wasn't harboring any ill will towards her for not waiting for him to come back to her. Ginny smiled back and watched with concern as Harry made his way back to Hermione, turning back to the conversation after a minute, happy that someone was possibly finally getting through to her friend.

"Here you go," Harry said when he'd reached Hermione. Instead of taking the plate from him, she stood up and started for the door.  
"I think I'll go for a walk." Harry was close behind her, stopping short to keep from running into her when she paused and grabbed two more bottles of the firewhiskey on the way to the portrait hole.

"Hermione," he called out softly when the painting had swung shut behind them. "You told me to get this for you, and now you're not going to eat it?" She turned around to face him, dismay on her face as she did.

"Bring it with you," she answered indifferently, still heading toward the stairs. Harry cast a protective charm around the plate to keep the food from tumbling off and hurried to follow.

She was moving fast. In fact, he didn't catch her until she was almost out the door, keeping an eagle eye out for anyone that would catch them and turn them in to McGonagall.

"Where are we going?" he panted as they headed across the grounds.

"Nowhere in particular," she said, tears evident in her voice again. She stopped by a tree next to the Black Lake and began sobbing. Harry lowered himself next to her and put the plate on the ground so he could wrap his arms around her.

She held onto him with her free hand for a minute, then pulled away to open one of the two bottles she'd brought with them.

"What happened to the first one?" Harry asked.

"Finished it." She offered it to him, he shook his head.

"Hermione," he began as she drank deeply. "You need to eat something or you're going to get sick."

She took a sandwich from the plate and devoured it.

"See? I knew you were hungry."

"Harry? What are you going to do after Hogwarts?" she asked, eating another sandwich and a few small handfulls of popcorn in short order.

"I don't really know," he replied after a few seconds silence. "I haven't been able to figure that out, yet." This brought back to mind his earlier concerns and when she offered him the firewhiskey again, he took it, draining the bottle to halfway in a single gulp. She grinned at him through the tears that still fell from her chocolate eyes and waved it away when he moved to hand the bottle back to her. He shrugged and took another slug of the potent alcohol.  
"O.K. Got another question for you, now," Hermione blurted. "I know why I'm drinking this, because of my parents. I really needed something to take my mind off them for a few hours, and I know I'll probably regret it tomorrow, but what about you?" Harry was feeling the effect of the liquor now. He looked at her and saw that she was a little fuzzy, but that matched the feeling in his head, so it didn't bother him.

"What do you mean?" he asked.

"Why are 'you' drinking the firewhiskey?" Harry stared down at his feet for a minute.

"Because I don't know what I'm going to do now," he whispered, raising his eyes to hers again. "I've had Voldemort shaping who I am my entire life. Now he's dead, and I just don't know what I'm to do with myself."

"I thought you wanted to be an Auror?" She lay her head on his shoulder. Harry wrapped his arm around her in reflexive action.

"I did, but now I wonder if that wasn't just because of my having to deal with Voldemort. I've been rethinking everything, second guessing my entire choice of NEWT classes here." He paused, noticing how good her hair smelled. This rattled him a bit and he took another slug of his firewhiskey. Hermione fortunately didn't notice anything was wrong.

"Harry, would you do something for me?" she asked, lifting her head. He nodded.

"Of course, if I can." He raised the bottle to his mouth, taking another drink.

"Kiss me?" Harry choked on the liquid in his mouth, coughing and sputtering as soon as it had gone down.

"Are you serious?" he questioned, wiping his chin where he'd spit some of the whiskey back up.

One look to Hermione proved that she was indeed serious.

"Why?" She shrugged.

"I want to know what it's like. I watched you kiss Ginny last year, and I was just wondering what it felt like, is all."

"That doesn't make any sense. Why would you want..." The rest of his question was cut off as Hermione's lips met his. His eyes closed instantly, and he knew at that moment what everyone that had ever said they'd seen fireworks from a kiss meant. Bright flashes of colorful lights appeared and disappeared on the insides of his eyelids.

He gave in willingly to Hermione when she attempted to deepen the kiss, wrapping his other arm around her as she nudged him gently to the ground. Her tongue entered his mouth and tenetively touched his. Harry couldn't stop the small moan at the sensation it caused. He moved his tongue to hers, letting her lead the kiss. She rolled the two of them over, entwining her arms around Harry's neck. Harry felt something new, and jerked away, spinning from her before she could pull him back.

"Harry! What's wrong?" He heard her sit up and move closer to him. Her hand rested on his back. He couldn't tell her. Couldn't let her know, or see, what her kiss had done to his body. He rose up onto his knees, wanting to run back up to his dorm room to keep from shocking her, but the next second, she was beside him. She was going to see... He moved his hands to his lap. Hermione saw and smiled, knowing what had happened now.

"We should go back up," Harry said. He hadn't seen Hermione's expression, and still tried to hide from her as he started to stand. Her hand on his arm stopped him. He turned his head to her. She pushed him gently back down and pulled his hands from where they were still covering him. Harry closed his green eyes in shame.

"Oh God," he half whispered, half groaned his embarrassment. Hermione chuckled. His eyes flew open and he saw her tear stained face smiling at him. "It's not funny, Hermione."

"I'm not laughing at 'you', Harry. Just the fact that this seems to bother you." She reached out and lay her hand on the top of his thigh, right next to his erection.

"Hermione, don't," he begged when her fingers began moving closer. He covered her hand with his and pushed it away. Hermione moved so that she was straddling his lap and putting her hands on either side of his face, pulled him to her and gave him a bruising kiss.

"Harry, did it ever occur to you that I might be flattered and that I might want you?" His eyes widened and his jaw dropped. She backed up and pulled the t-shirt she was wearing over her head. Harry nearly fainted, dropped back against the trunk of the tree. She stood and began to remove the rest of her clothing before he could recover, then returned to her former position, a hopeful question in her gaze. "Do 'you' want 'me'?" He met her eyes and nodded slowly after a minute.

"Harry, I want you to make love to me." At that, she moved her hands to the waistband of his jeans and pulled his shirt out.

"Are you sure?" he asked softly, finally recovering his voice. Hermione nodded and started to tug his shirt up. He stopped her. "Absolutely sure?"

"Harry, I'm sitting here completely naked on your lap, and you're more concerned about whether I'm sure I want you to make love to me or not? Yes, I'm sure. I wouldn't have taken my shirt off in the first place, much less the rest of my clothes if I wasn't sure."  
"I just wanted to be clear that it wasn't the firewhiskey talking. We've both had quite a bit of it and very little food."

"Harry?"

"Yes?"

"You talk too much."

She yanked his shirt over his head and tossed it aside. Harry's restraint crumbled. His hands flew to his belt buckle, and had it and the fastenings of his jeans undone in a matter of seconds. He lifted his hips to assist Hermione as she pulled them and his boxers down and off his legs. Hermione summoned her wand to her and muttered a contraceptive charm.

"Couldn't be the firewhiskey talking if you are clear headed enough to remember that," Harry said with a sigh as Hermione's hand slid between them to take hold of his member, guiding it into place against her wet opening. She realized that she wasn't even nervous about this. Possibly because it was Harry, or because they were indeed under the effects of the firewhiskey. It didn't matter to her. She started to lower herself onto his length, hearing his gasp when he slid into her tight wet heat. Harry's emerald eyes widened when he realized that she was doing this for the first time, and was about to stop her, but she gritted her teeth and slammed her hips down to meet his. He groaned loudly.

"Oh!" she gasped with a bit of pain.

"Are you all right?" Hermione nodded.

"I think you'd better be the one in control, though. You probably know more about this than I do."  
"Um, nope. Actually I don't."

"You didn't do this with Ginny when you were going with her?"

"What! And have Ron wring my fool neck? No. This is my first time, too." He squirmed a bit under her. "But I do know enough to realize that there's more to it than us just being connected like this."

"I'm afraid to move. It hurt when I did that. That's why I wanted you to be the one on top."

Harry wrapped her in his arms and turned them over. He made sure Hermione was comfortable, then couldn't stop himself from following his instincts. He kept a tight reign on them though, not allowing himself to slam into her the way he wanted. He was determined that she would at least 'begin' to enjoy it. 'There has to be a reason why so many 'women' choose to initiate this,' he thought as he began to slowly thrust in and out of her body. She began to whimper and let out tiny little moans after a few minutes. Harry took this as a good sign, and started to pick up his pace.

"Harry, something's happening. I think I'm going to... Oh my God!" she moaned loudly, and he felt her become even more wet around him as she came, and her walls started throbbing. This was enough to send him into his own orgasm. Hermione watched him through passion glazed eyes as his own slammed shut, his mouth fell open and he let out a gutteral moan that she felt through her entire being. Harry collapsed on her, nearly knocking the wind out of her lungs. They lay there a few minutes, panting and feeling each other's hearts beating rapidly.

"We 'really' need to get back up to the castle now," he said, raising up onto his arms and slowly, gently pulled out of her. Hermione felt a trickle seep from her center, and was amazed at what they had just done. Harry moved to his clothes, began dressing, and handed hers to her. She pulled her knickers on and fastened her bra, still in awed wonder that she had absolutely no regrets about losing her virginity to Harry Potter. In fact, it seemed to her as if it had been destined to happen.

Harry finished dressing and waited for her, then they walked in silence back to the castle, and up to Gryffindor tower where Hermione gave the password to a slightly grumpy Fat Lady.

"Good night, Harry," she whispered as they entered the common room. Ron and the others had gone to bed long before, but she didn't want to risk someone hearing them returning this late and report them. "I'll see you in the morning."

She stood on her tiptoes and gave him a long passionate kiss, which Harry readily returned. But when she'd gone up to her dorm, he flopped onto the sofa in front of the dying fire, staring into it.

He sat there, deep in thought, for more than an hour, then on the pure belief that he and Hermione had made a mistake and she was going to realize it in the morning and that would be the end of their friendship, Harry stood and hurried up to his own dorm. He quietly packed the last of his belongings into his trunk, gathered his broom and Hedwig's cage. Then, just as silently, he took all this back down to the common room. He shrank it all but his broom down to fit into his pocket, and hurried to the owlery to collect his owl.

"I need you to fly behind me, Hedwig," he told her as he carried her out of the owlery tower. "We're leaving Hogwarts tonight before all the trouble starts in the morning. I wish we could stay so I can see Hermione at King's Cross tomorrow, but I know she won't want to see me. Merlin, I wish we hadn't drank so much of that firewhiskey." He clambered onto his broom and kicked off from the ground, heading towards London, and away from the woman he had just lost his virginity to, the woman he loved.-

"So, you thought that I would think it was a mistake? 'That's' why you left?" Hermione stood and began to pace in front of Harry. She stopped directly in front of him after about ten trips. "Apparently you were more drunk than you thought."

"What do you mean?" he asked in confusion. Hermione placed her hands on his desk and leaned forward.

"I remember everything about that night. You must not, or you would remember that I told you that I was sure I wanted you to make love to me. You know me, Harry. You know I don't make split second decisions. The firewhiskey just gave me the courage to ask you to do it. And for that matter, why did you make love to me in the first place if you were thinking it was going to be a mistake?"

"Hermione," Harry began, standing and coming around to her side of the desk. "I was a seventeen-year-old boy. You were giving me a chance to lose my virginity. Did you really think that I wouldn't have taken it?"

"Why didn't you lose it to Ginny, then?" she shot back smugly.

"For one thing, she is Ron's sister, and he really 'would' have rung my neck. For another, I didn't 'want' to sleep with her. You remember how she was at Hogwarts. She had quite a few boyfriends before me. I broke up with her right after Dumbledore's funeral, and then I change my mind and decide to go back to Hogwarts, and find that she's back with Dean Thomas. I was glad at that moment that I 'hadn't' slept with her. That reminds me, how are the Weasleys?"

Hermione smiled.

"The same. Bill and Fleur have two children now. You know about William, well now he has a little sister, Megan. Charlie is still in Romania, Percy and Pennelope Clearwater are getting married at the end of the year, he realized what a fool he was and has made ammends with the family, Fred and George have opened two more shops, they bought out Zonko's last month, Molly is delighted that they are thinking about getting married to Angelina and Alicia, Ginny's still with Dean, and 'they' are getting married next year, and Ron..." Her brown eyes widened with fear. "Oh my God!"

"What is it!" Harry asked with alarm.

"I left Ron alone at the motel!"

"What? He came with you?" She nodded.

"He's the one that found out where you were. He came to get me yesterday afternoon and we took a portkey to get here." She cocked her head to one side. "How did 'you' get here?"

"Took the first portkey that they had leaving England," Harry smiled ruefully. "I figured the farther away I was, the less of a chance for you to come after me and have Ron hex me, or 'worse', for compromising your virtue. Well, I believe that we'd better go see what he's gotten into."

"You're coming with me?"

"Of course. Now that I know you aren't going to set him on me, or curse me yourself, I really want to see him. Is he still with Luna?"

"Yes. They've been married for almost six months. And how do you know that I won't curse you?"

Harry moved around her and to the door with a smile. He opened and held it for her, following as he answered, "You would have done it already."


	5. Explanations and Lunch

Cherished Memories -Chapter 5

Explanations and Lunch

Disclaimer- I don't own Harry, Hermione, Ron or any of the other characters. If I did, I would have all the money, and definately changed that epilogue. For that reason, most of DH is being ignored.

Hermione and Harry pulled their cars into Colonial Manor's parking lot, got out, and were about to head to the rooms she and Ron had rented when an obviously worried Ron Weasley came running out the door to the office.

"Hermione! There you are! I've been frantic. I got up almost two and a half hours ago and when you didn't answer your door, I noticed the car was gone. I thought you'd gone back to England without me. I was trying to call that guy so I could get back to the portkey, but realized I didn't know his name, and I didn't know what to do! You had me worried sick!"

He threw his arms around her and froze in place when he noticed Harry standing behind Hermione with a large smile on his face. "Harry?"

"Hi, Ron." Ron released Hermione and gaped at his former dormmate.

"She found you already?" Hermione nodded.

"I saw the car from yesterday and followed it this time."

"I'll say. She sort of busted in on me in my office, and..."

"WHAT THE BLOODY HELL ARE YOU DOING HERE, AND WHY DIDN'T YOU TELL ANYONE THAT YOU WERE LEAVING?" Harry cringed at his friend's outburst.

"Way to be subtle, Weasley," Hermione growled, grabbing the redhead's arm and dragging him towards the rooms. Harry followed at a slight distance. "You want to be a little louder? I don't think they heard you across town." Ron looked around and saw that he had gained quite an audience.

"I'm sorry, Harry, I didn't mean to yell at you, but really! I 'do' want to know. Why in Merlin's name did you come to the United States, and to somewhere as unknown as Bryan, Ohio?"

"That was the whole point, Ron," Harry answered, running his hand through his hair. Hermione noticed now for the first time that it wasn't its usual midnight black, but instead a deep chocolate brown. She opened her door and the three of them entered. "I didn't want to be found easily."

"Why not?" Ron asked. "You didn't want anything to do with me and Hermione anymore?"

"No! Nothing like that. It's just that..." Harry looked to Hermione, silently pleading with her to help him out here. She shook her head and he gave her a frustrated grimace in return.

"What? It's just that what?"

"It's... complicated. That's all. I can't tell you any more than that." He shoved his hair off his forehead again.

"Harry, mate, what did you do!" Ron asked. Harry gave him a blank look. "Your hair! I just noticed that you don't look the way I remember."

"Oh! It's just a spell. I'm a private investigator now and I have to be inconspicuous. My hair stuck out like a sore thumb the other week when it was white blond, so I went with this color this week."

"But why didn't you just leave it black?" Hermione asked.

"Another part of me not wanting to be found easily," was the muttered answer. "I'm still highly recognized when I look like Harry."

"That explains why you don't have your scar," Ron stated. His friend lifted his hand to his forehead and rubbed where the scar used to be.

"It's still there, it's just hidden with the spell. If there is anyone that would possibly recognize me, like you two or one of Voldemort's followers over here, I would be in loads of trouble. I have to keep changing my appearence to stay safe. That's why my hair is brown now, it been blond, it's been red, one time it was even green. That got me a lot of funny looks. This town is sort of conservative and a lot of the people don't look too forgivingly on others that are different from them. So that one didn't last long. Should have listened to Trina in the first place, I guess."

"Is Trina your wife?" Ron asked hesitantly, glancing at Hermione from the corner of his eye.

"Oh, no!" Harry laughed. "Trina is my secretary. Actually, she wants me to call her a receptionist. And her fianc would have my hide if I even 'thought' about her in any other way than business."

"So you're not married?"

"No. Not even in a relationship."

"Why not?" Hermione asked, hoping that her relief didn't show. Harry turned to her with an expression that said he thought the answer to that would be obvious.

"Something happened right before I left Hogwarts." He left the answer at that, not elaborating to Ron's disappointment. Harry went back to the original topic. "You're lucky that I chose to actually look like myself this week. The spell I use can make me look completely different. I can change any feature I choose."

"Like a Metamorph?" Hermione asked. Harry nodded.

"Something like that. But I don't have the ability to do it at will. It only works once a week and I'm stuck with whatever I change for that length of time. In fact," he paused, looking at the clock that was on the table next to the bed. "It's about to wear off."

He closed his eyes tightly for a second and made a sound like he was in pain, clenched his jaw, and after a few more seconds, relaxed with a sigh.

"Are you all right?" Ron asked.

"Yeah, but it does smart a bit. I feel the change even when it's just my hair color like this week, and it's such a sudden surge that it's sort of painful. I mean the color suddenly rushing through my hair, or my eyes, whatever I changed."

"Harry, what happened?" Ron turned on the light and sat down in a chair. His friend sat in another and cocked his head to the side.

"The spell wore off, that's all." He felt his forehead. "See, even my scar's back."

"That's not what I meant. What happened that you left Hogwarts without telling anyone?"

Hermione sat on her bed, and Harry had a sudden mental image of her underneath him in that bed. He shook it away. She was probably involved with someone, but it still didn't seem as if enough time had passed for him to have stopped feeling the way he had for her in school.

"I told you, it's complicated, and I can't say anything else about it."

"Why not?"

"Because... it would end up hurting the other person that was involved."

"Huh? What does that mean?" Harry shook his head, his once again raven hair flopping down over his scar.

"I've said too much as it is. Hey! You two want breakfast? Well, maybe brunch, now. I'm starving. We could go to Lester's or the Newstand..."

"Later," Ron interjected. "Right now, I want to know what you're hiding. 'What' would end up hurting the other person that was involved? Involved with 'what'? Harry, mate, it's not like you to keep secrets from your best friends."

"I think I kept my whereabouts hidden from you for three years, didn't I?"

"Ron, let it go. If Harry's not ready to say anything, then leave it alone," Hermione spoke up softly from her spot. One look to her told him that she knew at least 'part' of his secret.

"But, don't you want to know..."

"Harry will tell us when he's ready," she cut off the redhead's insistant plea and stood up. "Now, how about we go get something to eat?"


	6. It's None Of Your Buisness, Ron!

Cherished Memories - Chapter 6

It's None Of Your Business, Ron!

Disclaimer- I don't own Harry, Hermione, Ron or any of the other characters. If I did, I would have all the money, and definately changed that epilogue. For that reason, most of DH is being ignored.

Harry pulled his black Viper into the parking lot behind the library and parked it some ways away from the building. He got out and waited for his friends to do so as well before locking the doors with the keyring. Hermione recognized somewhat where she was and gave him a puzzled look.

"Somehow I don't think that the library would be big enough to have a place to eat in it, Harry."

"It doesn't," he replied, walking towards a door that was near his car. "We're going to the Newstand."

He opened the door and held it for them, following through the narrow little hall and into the small diner-like area beyond. Hermione took the first table that she saw, Ron sitting across from her, but Harry, seeing someone beckoning him from behind the counter at the other end, headed in that direction. Hermione's chocolate eyes trailed after him, watching as he had a brief but intense conversation with the other man. It ended when Harry nodded, patted the man hard on the shoulder and turned to the book and magazine racks behind him.

Ron and Hermione waited patiently as Harry picked out a few magazines and brought them back to the table after he'd made his purchase. He put the brown bag on his chair and sat on it.

"Whadja get?" Ron asked curiously. Harry blushed a little and glanced to Hermione.

"Nothing important. So did you two decide what you want?"

"We haven't even looked at the menus yet. Come on, Harry. What did you buy?" Ron wasn't going to let up. Harry sighed and pulled the bag out from under himself and handed it to his friend.

"Don't take them out of the bag, please," he asked before letting it go. Ron nodded and glanced inside. His blue eyes widened and he handed the bag back quickly, his pale face turning bright red.  
"Oh," was all he could say.

Hermione looked back and forth between the two of them. "What?" she asked.

Harry hesitated for a minute, then held out the bag to her. When she looked inside and saw what was causing his discomfort, she smiled.

"Hey, at least we know you're a healthy red blooded male. You don't have any perverse fetishes, do you?" Harry's green eyes widened and his jaw dropped open as he took his purchase back and returned it to its previous spot. He shook his head and looked to Ron, who was staring back in similar disbelief at Hermione's reaction.

She leaned closer to Harry and whispered loud enough for him alone to hear, "And 'I' already 'knew' that you're straight, so it comes as no surprise to me that all those magazines have the same content."

Harry gulped loudly as someone came to take their order. His friends opened their menus and looked over the selections.

"I'll have my usual," he said quickly when Ron and Hermione had given their orders. The woman smiled and headed back to the counter.

"What was 'that' supposed to mean?" he asked Hermione.

"I think you know."

"Someone want to fill 'me' in?" Ron queried.

"Nothing important, really," Harry answered. "Something between me and Hermione, is all."

"Something I reminded him of when I found him this morning."

"Yeah, as if I could have forgotten," Harry muttered under his breath, gaining him strange looks from the other two. Fortunately for him, their meals arrived then, so he was saved the obligation to explain.

"Your usual is a salad?" Ron was amazed. Harry nodded.

"There isn't much of a chance for me to play," he lowered his voice to a whisper so others wouldn't hear him, "Quidditch... around here, so I have to do my best to stay in shape. My job entails a lot of sneaking around, so that helps." He forked a mouthful of his chef salad and after swallowing, continued at his normal level. "Along with all the renovations I've been making on my house. Which brings me to something I was thinking of on the way here. Why don't you two stay with me instead of the motel? I have loads of room. It's really quiet, and Trina would love to meet some of my friends from England. She's forever on my case to tell me about my life before I came here."

"Any chance of you telling us 'why' you came here, then?"

"Ron! Why won't you let Harry tell us when he's ready?" Hermione swatted the redhead's shoulder.

"It's O.K., Hermione. It's only natural for you guys to be curious about it. I'm sorry, Ron. I just can't tell you anymore than I already have at the moment. I owe the other person involved in my decision their privacy." Ron laughed.

"Harry, you make it sound as if the 'other person' is the whole reason you're here in the first place." His friend stayed silent and lowered his eyes to his plate. "That's it, isn't it? You're here because of something that happened between you and this 'other person' aren't you?" He shoved the last of his hamburger into his mouth as he waited for an answer. He noticed a slight flush creeping up Harry's cheeks as he finished his salad.

"Harry? Am I right? You're here because of something that hap..." He paused for a second as Harry's face now became completely red. Ron watched with realization about what had most likely happened as his friend stood and went to the counter to pay for their lunch, then stopping only long enough to grab his bag and beckon them to go with him, he strode out the back door of the restaurant.

"If you two are going to stay with me, we should go get your stuff from the motel right now. That way you don't have to pay for another night," he said as they got into the car.

"You slept with someone, didn't you?"

"Ronald Weasley! That's none of your or my business! If Harry doesn't want to tell us, then that's 'his' decision, and you have no right..."

"Yes," came Harry's answer, which though soft in tone, sent shockwaves through the car. He started the engine. "My last night at Hogwarts, I lost my virginity. That's all I'm going to say about it." He pulled the car out of the spot and headed back towards the motel. When they reached it, Harry stayed in his car when Ron and Hermione got out. "I'm going to go back to the house and get a couple of the guest rooms ready. You come along when you're done packing. Hermione knows where it is." With that, he drove out of the lot and headed east.

Hermione turned and glared at Ron.

"What?" he asked.

"You just couldn't leave it alone, could you? He wasn't ready to say anything and now we may 'never' find out why he's here." She huffed impatiently then grabbed his arm. "Come on."


	7. Moving And House Tour

Cherished Memories -Chapter 7

Moving and House Tour

Disclaimer- I don't own Harry, Hermione, Ron or any of the other characters. If I did, I would have all the money, and definately changed that epilogue. For that reason, most of DH is being ignored.

Ron and Hermione took their suitcases from the backseat of the Neon a short fifteen minutes later, not having had anything to pack since neither had even changed their clothes since the previous day. Hermione led the way up Harry's front walk, Ron trailing behind, staring at the house his friend now lived in. She rang the bell and they waited. Trina opened the door a second later.

"Hi!" she exclaimed. "Harry said you guys were coming!" She opened the screen door and held it open for them to enter. "Don't know why you didn't just tell me that you were a friend of Harry's in the first place," she wagged a finger at Hermione.

"I wanted to surprise him," Hermione shrugged with a smile. Trina grinned back.

"I'll bet he 'was' surprised. He's upstairs, go on up. Through that door," she pointed to their right. Hermione thanked her and they started up to the second floor. They heard movement towards the back of the house as they reached the landing and followed the sounds.

"Harry?"  
"Yeah!" he called back, sounding more like himself now. "Come on back. I'm just finishing with this bed." They entered the room his voice had come from and found him putting a crisp blue case on the pillow he was holding. "Well," he said, tossing the pillow onto the covers. "Which one of you wants this room? The other is further down the hall if you want to see it before choosing."

"Which one is closer to 'your' room?" Ron asked.

"The other, why?"

"Then I'll take this one. I still remember how much you snore!" He laughed as Harry picked the pillow up and threw it at him.

"I think that was 'you', Ron!" he joked back. He turned to Hermione. "Do you mind taking the other room, do you want Ron and I to be in the same area to give you more privacy?"

"No! Ron can have this room if he wants it." She grinned slyly. "I think Harry's right. It was 'you' that snored. I don't want Harry to have to hear that all night. He'll 'never' get any sleep!" As they followed Harry down the hall to the other room, she thought, 'Not that 'I'll' get much being so close to Harry, either.' But she'd chosen the other room for the whole purpose of 'being' near Harry in the first place.

They walked into the second room and Hermione grinned widely.

"You 'knew' I was going to pick this room, didn't you?" The bed had been made up in pink and white. The pillowcases were edged with pale cream lace.

"Um, Harry? Any particular reason you have 'pink' sheets in your house? I mean you're single, don't have a girlfriend from what you said earlier, but still you have 'pink' sheets. With lace, no less." Ron gave his friend a disturbed look.

"Ron, get a life," Harry retorted as he moved around to the other side of the bed to open the window. "I'm a private investigator. Sometimes I have one or more of my clients staying here when I have to take them with me the next morning for a court date or to identify a... well I don't really want to say this, but... to identify a body at the hospital, and then if it turns out to be the person that they are looking for, they'll be too upset to go home, or if I find out that their spouse is cheating on them and they decide to leave when they have nowhere else to go. I have to have sheets for both men 'and' women. That's all." Hermione gasped when she heard about identifying a body.

"Does it happen a lot?"

"What?" Harry asked turning to face her. "Having to identify a body?"

"Yes."

"Not really. More when I get a tip that the person I'm looking for was last in Fort Wayne, that's in Indiana, or Toledo."

She let out a relieved breath.

"Anyway, to answer your earlier question, I had a pretty good idea. Not because of Ron's snoring," he grinned at his friend who was running his hands through his hair in mock embarrassment. "But because of the view of my backyard." He moved aside as Hermione and Ron both came over to see what he was talking about.

"Whoa," Ron said when he saw the sight below. Hermione brought her hand up to her chest in astonishment. It was if Harry had somehow managed to bring a bit of the grounds from Hogwarts with him when he'd come to America. Nearly two acres stretched out behind the house, a gigantic pond with sparkling blue water was off to the right, with a large patch of forest about twenty yards from its banks. One massive tree stood close to the shore, reminding Hermione about the night she and Harry'd had together. She glanced at him and saw that he was watching her intently for her reaction. She gulped at the expression on his face. It matched the one that he'd had when he'd been been telling her his story that morning. One of mild concentration and intense desire. She looked to Ron and saw that he wasn't really interested in what was happening between his friends, but more in the pond.

"That is so 'cool'! Is it always that blue?" Harry nodded.

"As long as the sun is out, like today. And in the winter, it freezes solid and a lot of my client's kids come and skate on it."

"It looks like Hogwarts," Hermione pointed out softly. Ron looked more closely at the view.

"Hey, you're right! Did you do that, Harry?"

"No. It was like that when I had the house built. But enough of this. Come on and I'll show you the rest of the house."

He led the way back downstairs and down the hallway that Hermione had gone through to surprise him that morning. But instead of heading to his office, he opened a set of double doors near the middle that she'd missed, and led them into what appeared to be a large common room.

"This is the living room, slash library, slash dining room, see that big table over there?" They turned and saw the long gleaming mahogany table with benches on either side. Ron grinned widely.

"Another thing that looks like Hogwarts."

"Yeah, but this one was intentional. I have nine guest rooms and sometimes they are all filled. I wouldn't be a very good host if I didn't offer my guests breakfast, lunch and dinner now would I?"

He moved to another door and waited for them to join him. On the other side was a gleaming state of the art kitchen. Stainless steel stove, refrigerator, sink and microwave, marble counters, and a large wood slab sat in the middle of the counter where it formed a U-shape. Off to one side of the slab set a complete set of knives in a custom made block.

"Wow, Harry! This is incredible!" Hermione exclaimed. Ron nodded in agreement.

"Thanks. I figured if I ever sell the house, I need a good hook to get a buyer interested.

"You want to sell your house?"

"No, not right now, but I'm getting a bit restless. It's rather lonely having all this room and only me living here."

"Then why did you make it so big?" Ron asked.

"All my life, for as long as I can remember, I have been in little tiny spaces. That damned cupboard, the room that I moved into wasn't all that big, either. Even the tower at Hogwarts. I only had a small space that was mine. So I vowed that when I had my own place, I would have loads of room to move around, but now I feel like a table tennis ball bouncing around in a box." He smiled ruefully. "Truthfully, I don't use these areas unless I have company. I have another small kitchen near my office where I do most of my cooking. I get sort of lost in here."

He took them back to the main hallway and showed the second kitchen to them. It was still large, but in no way as imposing as the first had been. A small table sat in the middle, four chairs surrounding it. Ron moved to the fridge and opened it.

"This thing is stuffed!" he exclaimed. Harry nodded.

"I just did my grocery shopping yesterday." He motioned them to follow him again.

"That must have been when I saw your car the first time." He looked back at Hermione as he entered a warmly decorated sitting room. "Ron and I were at the, what was it?" She looked to Ron, who only shrugged. "Oh, yeah, the Burger King. I saw you in your car and we tried to follow you, but I didn't see which way you had gone, and we went to the motel from there."

"I went to Wal-Mart. It was right across the street. Wait a minute! You 'knew' it was me?"

"Of course. I'm one of your best friends. I would be able to pick you out of a room of total look-alikes, or even if you didn't even have any of the same features you've had all your life."

"Don't mean to inturrupt this little discussion, but I really need to use the loo," Ron broke in.

"Take a right in the hall, next to last door on the right."

As soon as his friend was gone, Harry turned to Hermione. "I'm sorry, but I have to do something that I've been thinking about ever since you burst into my office."

"What's that?" she asked him. He moved closer to her and took her face in his hands.

"This," he whispered and closing his eyes, he lowered his mouth to hers. Hermione instantly wrapped her arms around his waist and leaned into him, allowing him to part her lips with his tongue. He pulled back a second later and cleared his throat. "I probably shouldn't have done that," he said, stepping away from her.

She pulled him back to his surprise.

"Yes, you should," she said huskily and pulling him down to her, she kissed him fiercely. Harry's arms went around her immediately, holding her tight, as if she were a lifeline, and her kiss was the air he needed to breathe. Neither one of them noticed when Ron came back into the room until they heard him speak.

"Not to be rude or anything, but would one of you two mind telling me what the hell is going on?"


	8. What's Going On !

Cherished Memories - Chapter 8

What's Going On?

Disclaimer- I don't own Harry, Hermione, Ron or any of the other characters. If I did, I would have all the money, and definately changed that epilogue. For that reason, most of DH is being ignored.

Harry nearly tripped over an end table in his hurry to get away from Hermione.

"It's not what you think, Ron," he stammered, not meeting his friend's eye. "Hermione and I were..."

"Yeah, I saw what you were doing," Ron laughed. "Harry, relax. I understand."

"You do?" the other two asked at the same time.

"Of course. You're both lonely, neither one of you is in a relationship, and all the pent up, excess energy from not going out with someone forced its way to the surface and caught you two off guard." He laughed for a minute or two before finishing. "It's really funny when you think of it. Harry and Hermione exchanged looks. Both thought that Ron was only 'half' right. They did have pent up energy, but it was the person next to them that was the reason for the outburst. They laughed uneasily along with Ron.

"Yeah, um, I guess you're right," Harry said, gesturing to the couch for his friends to sit, and taking a chair across from them himself. "How long are you staying in America?"

"At least until the end of next week," Ron answered. "There aren't any portkeys back to England until then, and I know that Hermione is gonna want you to show us around town and have a chance to talk you into coming back with us." Hermione looked at him as if she wanted to kill him, then curiosity got the better of her and she turned to Harry.

"I don't know," he said, his brow furrowed. "I like the quiet of the area, you can't get that in too many places in London. Also, few people know that I'm a wizard, here. Trina does, obviously, and that bloke that I was talking to at the Newstand, but not many others. Mostly just the ones that give me reliable tips and information. And there was that thing that happened at Hogwarts." He glanced at Hermione, then looked away with a blush. This didn't go unnoticed by Ron, who turned to look at her as well, and saw that she had also flushed. He made a mental note to talk to one of them about it.  
"Well," he said, clapping his hands together and making his friends jump, "You can 'still' show us around town." He looked at his watch. "It's only... I have to change this. It's still on London time. What time is it here?"

"Two thirty." They all looked towards the door and saw that Trina had entered the room. "Sorry to inturrupt, but there's someone here that needs to see Harry." He stood and apologized to the two of them and excused himself with the promise that he would return soon. As soon as the door shut behind him, Ron turned to Hermione.

"What was that?"

"What? What are you talking about? Harry just has to meet with a client, then he'll..." She was cut off by a wave of Ron's hand.

"Not that. That thing between you and Harry. What is going on? Did that kiss mean something? More than stored up energy, I mean?" Hermione turned beet red. "It does, doesn't it?"

"All right. You say anything about this to Harry, and I swear I will kill you."

"On my honor." He crossed his heart and smiled reasuringly.

"That's not the first time that Harry and I have kissed each other."

"Huh? When was the first time?"

"At Hogwarts. Our last night there."

"Wait a minute. You mean to tell me that Harry kissed you, went off with some other girl,... Oh my God." Realization came to Ron's pale face.

"What?"

"Harry didn't go off with another girl, did he?" She didn't answer him right away. "Hermione?"

"Ron, I think you really need to find something else to do with your time. You're spending too much of it trying to figure out what happened to Harry at Hogwarts."

"You didn't answer my question. Did he or didn't he go off with another girl?"

"If you really have to know, no I didn't."


	9. Helping Harry

Cherished Memories -Chapter 9

Helping Harry

Disclaimer- I don't own Harry, Hermione, Ron or any of the other characters. If I did, I would have all the money, and definately changed that epilogue. For that reason, most of DH is being ignored.

Ron and Hermione looked up to see Harry in the doorway. "Does that make you happy?" he asked coming around the couch and resuming his earlier seat. "Does it?"

"Harry, don't blow a gasket," Ron began, but was cut off.

"I'm not going to 'blow a gasket', Ron. I just want to know if my telling you that I didn't go off with another girl makes you happy?"

"I was just concerned that maybe the reason you took off that night was because..."

"Because something happened between me and Hermione? Well, since you won't let it go until you find out, I'm going to tell you." He held up his hand when Hermione tried to stop him. "He's not going to forget about it until he knows, Hermione."

"Harry, I don't want him to find out this way. Please, don't do something you'll regret."

"Either I tell him, or you do. But we are 'not' leaving this room until it's all out in the open. Trina's gone home for the day and my front door is locked." He pulled his wand out and waved it in the direction of the living room door. It slammed shut and they heard a click as it locked. With another wave, he summoned his friends' wands and stuck them under his leg to keep them from being retrieved easily. Hermione smirked a bit as she watched him do this.

"Is that your favorite place to put things? Under your arse?"

"When it's needed, and don't try to change the subject. Am I going to tell him or are you?"

"Harry, don't be like this. Surely you don't want him to know what happened that night. Not this way."

"All right, I'll tell him." Hermione, realizing that he was going to do it no matter what she said, put up her hands in defeat and sat back on the couch. Ron, silent since their disagreement had began, cleared his throat.

"It's all right, Harry. I'm sorry, really. I didn't have the right to ask her about it. It's none of my business." Harry's emerald eyes landed on him.

"But you just wouldn't let it go, would you? Well, now I'm going to tell you, since you wanted to know so badly, so just shut up and listen." Ron imitated Hermione's earlier movements. Harry leaned forward, placing his elbows across his knees.

Before he could begin to explain, a somewhat moody tune sounded. He cursed and reached behind him, bringing out the source of the music. He flipped the phone open and brought it up to his ear. "Hello? Yes. Yes. I know."  
Ron and Hermione exchanged glances as their friend continued his conversation. Ron mouthed, 'How is he doing that?' to her and she sent back, 'Explain later,' and turned her attention back to Harry

"Whatever he says, don't listen to him. I've got a lead I'm going to check up on tomorrow, then I'll get back with you. No, I can't do it today, the guy isn't going to be around until tomorrow. Well, if he calls you again, remind him of the restraining order and let him know that you will call the police if he tries to do anything." He sighed deeply. "Morgan, he cannot legally take your children out of the house. What was that! Hang up and call the police right now. Morgan, don't argue with me, do it!" He snapped the phone closed and stood. "I have to go." Ron and Hermione watched him with alarmed expressions.

"What's going on?" Hermione asked.

"The woman that I was just talking to? Her husband is wanted for possible extortion and embezzlement. His company hired me for two reasons when they fired him. One, to find the proof they need to put him in prison for it, and two, to protect his former boss's daughter and her children. The only reason this man was with the company in the first place is because he was married to the daughter of the business's owner. And I think that he's at the point where he would kill Morgan and her kids to get what he wants. Now, I really have to go." He bolted for the door, waving his wand to unlock it. Hermione stopped him as he passed her.

"We'll go with you." Harry shook his head, but Ron nodded in argument.

"Mate, it's not safe for you to be around this guy, either. Three against one is better odds when it comes to protecting children."

"I don't have time to argue with you about it. But be prepared to go really fast," he added as he magically undid the lock on the front door and led the way to his car.

"Aren't you worried about getting stopped by the police, yourself?" Hermione asked as she got into the vehicle. Harry slammed his door shut and hurriedly clicked his seatbelt as he started the engine.

"I have clearance from the police department to drive as fast as I safely can when there's a reason for me to. They work with me on a lot of my cases, and as long as I don't abuse it, using the privilage 'only' in emergencies, they won't try to stop me."

He sped backwards out the drive and headed north towards town. "They know my car by the red stripe that runs along the side. When I'm driving fast, it glows like a neon light. A little spell that I put on it." Hermione noticed this starting to happen, it caught her eye in the side mirror as they picked up speed. "They don't know that I'm a wizard, but they don't ask about how that works either, they just go with it. I believe they think it's reflective tape or heat sensitive paint or something. Hang on." Hermione and Ron braced themselves as Harry whipped his car around a corner, now taking them down High Street.

"How fast are we going?" Ron asked, looking out the window. "The other cars look like they're standing still."

"About eighty, but that's only because I'm using magic to control the car. And Muggles can't see it when I go 'this' fast, so they don't even realize we were there."

They passed the castle-like building, that Harry had explained was the courthouse for the county, and continued west out past what Hermione thought said Bryan Lanes, but she wasn't sure, they had been going much too fast. Harry took another left at the next corner, taking them south, and then a right about fifteen seconds later. He slowed down as he headed up the driveway they were now in. It led to an enormous mansion.

They stopped behind a green SUV that was parked haphazzardly in front of the house and the front door was hanging off its hinges.  
"Shit!" Harry swore as he bolted from his car, leaving Ron and Hermione staring after him. He approached the house cautiously, moving to one side of the destroyed door frame, his back against it, before chancing a glance inside. Hermione opened her door to get out.

"Wait a second!" Ron blurted. "Where are you going? It can't be safe for you and I to be running around in there, we could get killed!" She spun around in her seat to glare at him.

"You think it's safe for 'Harry' to be in there? Alone? That guy could have killed everyone in the house and still be hiding. I'm not going to let Harry risk his like without someone there to help him." She swung her legs out and was gone before Ron could say another word. He groaned and followed her.

They entered the house, seeing no signs of a struggle, no one in the room. The sounds of sirens in the distance told them that Morgan had indeed called the police and they were now on their way to help. They crept forward towards a door that led into the next room, Hermione making it just to the other side of the frame when a hand clamped over her mouth and she was yanked to the side.

"Quiet, both of you," Harry hissed as Ron shot into the room, in the process of reaching for his wand, which unfortunately for him, still sat on the chair in Harry's house. He sighed in relief to see that it was his friend and not some crazed murderer that had captured Hermione.

"I should have told you to stay in the car," Harry went on in a whisper. He peered around the room, searching for any sign of Morgan, her children or her husband. All three of them raised their heads as a loud thud sounded on the ceiling. Harry released Hermione and started back out the door. "Stay here. Do not, under any circumstances, follow me. I don't want to have to send owls to the Burrow explaining why Ron comes to America to find me and ends up dead. And Hermione..." He met her eyes, then turned away and headed off. She shuddered from the electricity she'd seen in that brief moment, bracing herself against the wall. Ron stared after Harry, a worried look on his face.

"What is it?" Hermione whispered.

"Nothing, really, but except for Luna, no one knows we are here. I didn't tell anyone at the Ministry that I was going to America for a while, or that I was taking you with me."

"You mean to tell me that the two of us could have no job when we get back to London?" she hissed.

"Well, I wasn't really thinking about it at the time. When Luna and I got the confirmation that Harry was here in Bryan..."

"Wait a minute! When you and 'Luna'? The ministry doesn't know Harry's in the United States?" Ron shook his head.

"But that's not what I'm worried about. My mum doesn't know I'm gone, either."

"Oh, God," Hermione groaned, now understanding the problem. Molly had lost her husband less than five years earlier. Ever since, she'd lived in fear that something would happen to one of her children. "Why didn't you 'tell' her? You know that she's always thought of Harry as one of her own."

Another thump from overhead, and flashing red and blue lights from outside made Ron and Hermione blink. The police had arrived, suddenly and silently, having turned off their sirens to prevent their target from knowing they were coming. A series of crashes, clatters and what sounded like someone being slammed repeatedly into a wall came next, almost drowning out the hurried footsteps from several of the officers that now entered the house. Two tall men entered the room, hands on their guns in readiness.

"Are you two all right?" one of them asked softly. Hermione nodded.  
"Harry's upstairs," she said, her mouth going dry with the horrible thought of what may have happened to him. "He may need help."

"No, I've got it covered." Hermione's head snapped around, and she saw that Harry stood in the doorway, holding tightly onto a man that had his arms tied behind his back and his face turning several shades of purple and a woman shivering with relief was behind them. The officers sprang into action.

"Jeffrey Mills, you are under arrest for violation of a court appointed restraint order, breaking and entering..." The rest of the policeman's words were drowned out, as well as the questions the other was asking of Morgan as Hermione stared at Harry. His right eye was starting to swell shut and his lower lip was bleeding, as well as his nose. She moved forward to him and reached up to touch his face gingerly.

"I'm fine," he whispered to her as Ron joined them. "Believe me, I've looked worse." The officers hauled Morgan's husband out to their cars, and Morgan began thanking Harry repeatedly.

"You have no 'idea' how terrified I was. I've told the children that if they see their father's car in the drive when they come home from school to go to the neighbor's house 'immediately'. And thank you for calling the police, too. Jeff cut the wires and my cell is dead."

"Morgan, I didn't call the police," he said with confusion.

"I did, Mommy," came a girl's voice. Three children hurtled themselves across the room and into their mother's arms. Harry mouthed to Morgan that he, Hermione and Ron were leaving. She nodded and waved goodbye, hugging and kissing her children the whole time. When they were on the way back to Harry's house, Hermione let out the breath she'd been holding since she'd seen him in the doorway.

"Are you sure you're all right?" she inquired, turning in her seat to examine his eye. He nodded and sighed.

"I just hope that Morgan takes my advice and moves herself and the kids out of town now."

"How come the police didn't even thank you?" Ron asked.

"They were doing their job. They're not supposed to say too much to me and give it away that I'm working with them. That would ruin it for them and put me out of business." He winced as his lip gave a nasty throb. He reached over Hermione and opened the glove compartment, pulling out a packet of tissues, making several unsuccessful attempts to open it one handed before she took it and handed over a few to him.

"Thanks," he said, holding them to his nose. "I'll fix this when we get to the house. I won't see Morgan for at least a week, so she won't ask any questions about it. When we were coming down, I told her to pack a few things for her, Katrina, Annie and Steven and go to her father's in Toledo for a while." He drove in silence for the next few minutes, then banged his hand on the steering wheel. "I 'told' her to divorce him last year, but she insisted that she would be able to handle it. When I went up there... he had a knife to her throat and was about to," he gritted his teeth and ground out, "Rape her."

"Oh my God!" Hermione gasped, her hands flying to her mouth. Ron's face turned snow white in the back seat.

"Is this what you deal with on a daily basis?" he asked, nausea apparent in his voice.

"No, thank Heaven. This is the first time that something like this has happened, but Morgan is like a sister to me. And her kids even call me Uncle Harry." A tear squeezed past the swelling of his eye and slid down his cheek. He brushed it away with the tissues that were now soaked with the blood from his nose.

"Harry, you just left a streak under your eye," Hermione said gently, taking the sodden tissues from him and tenderly wiping at it with a fresh one, careful not to put any pressure on the bruise that was forming.

"Can you stop the car a second?" Ron asked softly but urgently. Harry took one look at him in the rearview mirror and quickly pulled the car off to the side of the road. Ron opened his door, leaned out and lost his lunch on the ground. Hermione grimaced when she heard what was happening and plugged her ears to block it out. Harry sat staring out the front window until his friend sat up again.

"Better?" he asked, rummaging around in his front pocket. Ron nodded weakly. Harry found what he was looking for and handed it behind him. "Here, take one of these."

"What is it?"

"Just mints to get rid of the taste in your mouth." Harry looked over his left shoulder and pulled the car back onto the road.

Two minutes later, they turned into his drive. He turned off the car, but didn't get out. "I know how you feel, Ron," he said. "I've gotten sick a few times knowing the things that some Muggles do to get what they want. I've seen quite a few things that I 'never' saw in England. But it's worse when there are children involved. Most of my cases have to do with children in some way. The last time I threw up was last month when I found out that a guy, pillar of the community, upstanding citizen, had been molesting his ten month old granddaughter since she was born. He was sentenced to life in prison and shot himself the night before he was to be taken to jail. No one even knows where he got the gun. I just hope that little girl can grow up having a normal life."

He chuckled humorlessly.

"Sort of makes how 'I' grew up with the Dursleys look like I was living in Buckingham Palace, doesn't it?" He got out of the car and headed up the front walk without another word. Ron and Hermione could only stare after him in horror of the thought of what he dealt with in his job.


	10. Little Tasks

Cherished Memories - Chapter 10

Little Tasks

Disclaimer- I don't own Harry, Hermione, Ron or any of the other characters. If I did, I would have all the money, and definately changed that epilogue. For that reason, most of DH is being ignored.

Harry woke up two days later to the sound of someone knocking softly on his door. He squinted at his clock and saw that it said one sixteen, groaned and shoved the covers off to answer the next round of tapping. He opened the door and found Hermione on the other side.

"I'm sorry to wake you up, Harry, but I need to talk to you." He stood back to let her in.

"What is it?" he yawned, closing the door and heading back to his bed. Hermione shifted from one foot to the other, then flopped down next to him when he'd gotten settled.

"Don't tell Ron."

"Don't tell Ron what?" he asked, now a bit more awake.

"What happened at Hogwarts. He doesn't need to know about it. I want it to stay between us."

"Thought that you 'wanted' it to happen."

"I 'did', Harry."

"Then why are you ashamed of it now?" He reached over, turned on his bedside light and put on his glasses.

"I'm not! I just want it to be our secret, please?"

"Hermione, unless you can give me a 'real' reason for me to not say anything to Ron, I'm going to tell him."

"Harry, please! I can't give you another reason except that I don't want him to know like this."

"He probably knows already. And I would have told him after the stuff with Morgan if you hadn't insisted that we go around town sight seeing. There's not a lot to see in Bryan, but you dragged it out for 'hours'."

"Oh, come on. I was fascinated by the courthouse. Are all the floors in there marble?"

"Pretty much. You're not going to change my mind." He realized what it was that she was doing by talking about the building.

"Isn't there 'any' way I can change it?" she pleaded. He looked her up and down.

"I can think of one." Hermione flushed when she remembered that she was wearing her shortest nightshirt... and not much else.

"What?"

"You can give me a good night kiss and let me sleep on it." Hermione didn't know whether to be insulted or relieved. She decided on the latter and leaned forward to kiss him on the forehead. He looked up at her when she began to pull away.

"That's not what I meant," he whispered and pulled her back down to him, crushing their lips together. Hermione instantly groaned. Harry moved around to her ear and whispered in it, "If we make love tonight, I won't tell him about Hogwarts. I won't have a reason to."

"And you have a reason to now?"

"I have to say it out loud to keep it in my memory. I do it at least once a week to an empty room just so that I will be able to remember it until eternity."

"How would it help for us to make love tonight?" she asked, knowing what the answer was going to be.

"I would have an even better one." He nibbled on her throat, making little shocks of pleasure run down her spine. "You ought to see my collection."

"Your collection?" she repeated, feeling him nod against her shoulder.

"My magazine collection. It's ridiculous. I've become too well aquainted with my hand. I think it's starting to hate me, it gets so tired of having to wank me off every night." She was surprised that he was telling her this.

"Why don't you find someone to help you with it, then?"

"Because I'm spoiled. I've had the best and to hell with the rest." He left one final suckle on her neck and raised his head. "You were my first, my last and my only, Hermione."

"You haven't been with anyone since?" Harry shook his head slowly. Hermione smiled shyly. "I haven't, either," she admitted, feeling her face heat up when his green eyes darkened with desire.

"No one?" She confirmed it with a short nod. Harry resumed lavishing attention on her throat, wrapping her in his arms when she moaned softly.

"Why now?" she whispered.

"Because I'm tired of fighting how I feel," he breathed back. She felt her hopes begin to rise, hopes that flared at the chance that he 'might possibly' feel the same way she did. Before she made her decision, she had to know.

"And how 'do' you feel?" she asked, pulling back far enough to look him in the eye.

"Like I'm about to implode. Forget 'exploding'! Ever since you walked into my office the other day, I've lost control over my body. I was filing some former cases with Trina yesterday morning before you and Ron got up, and I couldn't stop all the blood in my body from going where it wanted to. Right in front of Trina, I was getting hard! That hasn't happened 'once' in the entire time that I've known her. Fortunately, she didn't notice before I could excuse myself, but I was spending a lot of time making up excuses to stay in my office, today. I can't stop thinking about what we did that night, and wondering if, as incredible as it was then, it couldn't be better when we are sober." Hermione pulled away from him and stood.

"I think I should go back to my room, now."

"What! Why?"

"Because something just isn't sounding right, here. During lunch at the Newstand, you made the comment that you couldn't have forgotten what I reminded you of earlier that morning, you even told me your side of the story, and it was just as I remember it as well. But just a few minutes ago, you said you have to say it out loud to an empty room to keep it in your memory? Which is it, Harry?"

"I understand, now," he smiled. "It's 'both', in answer to your question. I will never forget what we shared there by the Black Lake, and I 'do' have to say it out loud in order to keep it in my mind for eternity, because if I don't do that, I won't be able to function. It will take over my entire life until I can do nothing else but obsess over every single detail. I have to relieve some of the pressure from my mind, so that the picture stays pristine, the way it 'should' be remembered, and not ripped to shreds, making a total mockery of what a beautiful moment it was in my life."  
"Two days ago, it was a mistake, and it shouldn't have happened," Hermione pointed out, turning to leave.

"It 'was' a mistake for it to happen the way it did. I still feel that I had taken advantage of you, even though you were the one to initiate it. Your parents had just died, and instead of comforting you by talking about it, I let my... well, I let the head between my legs do my thinking for me since the one between my 'shoulders' was fogged with alcohol. I thought you would wake up the next morning, and hate me for what we had done. But from my standpoint, it was wonderful." He smiled wistfully. "In fact, I wish that it had happened sooner," he whispered.  
"You do?" Hermione finally returned to the bed, sitting too far away for Harry's liking, but it was better than her possibly leaving.

"If I had known that losing my virginity to you was going to be the way it was, I would have readily given it to you as soon as we met on the Hogwarts Express."

"Harry, we were eleven, then."

"And your point is?" Her brown eyes widened in shock.

"Harry Potter!"

"I'm 'joking'. I wasn't even interested in girls, then. That didn't start until I got that stupid crush on Cho." He shifted position, lying back against his pillows. "So, what do you think?"

"I think I 'need' to think," she muttered in answer, then looked him in the eye. "You want to sleep with me?" Harry nodded, a look of lust forming on his face. She decided to tease him a bit before giving her answer. "How badly?" The lust changed to bewilderment.

"I've never wanted anything so much in my life," he replied.

"Do you want it badly enough to do something for me?" Harry nodded enthusiastically. "Really?"

"Anything," he promised eagerly.

"O.K. We'll see about that. If you do what I ask, without backing out once, 'maybe' I'll consider thinking about sleeping with you." Harry was so thrilled at that moment to have this chance, that he didn't quite catch what she'd said. She chuckled at the boyish excitement in his eyes. "Funny," she said softly.

"What's funny?"

"You never behaved this way at Hogwarts. Or anywhere else for that matter. Maybe moving to America was a good thing for you."

"I'm able to live my life here. Just be Harry, not the saviour of the wizarding world. But you'd be surprised at what it took for me to even 'begin' to do that. Trina told me for 'months' that I had to lighten up and stop being afraid to let myself go." He shrugged at her expression of mock surprise. "Now, what is it you want me to do?"

"Well, there are a few things I can think of, but which one do I 'really' want you to do?"

"I can do all of them, if you like."

"Don't tempt me, Harry. No, on second thought, I 'want' you to do all of them. But which one first?" Her face furowed with concentration as she stood and wandered over to the windows.

Harry watched with bated breath as he waited for her to set him his tasks.

"I know!" she said. After staring out into his yard for a minute, she turned and rushed to the door. "Come with me." She was gone before Harry could even blink. He scrambled out of bed and ran after her, hearing her footsteps heading down the stairs. She waited for him at the bottom, looking down the dark hallway, then to the front door.

"What are we doing?" he panted lightly.

"How do we get out to the pond?" Harry started down the hall, Hermione right on his heels. He took her through the formal kitchen and out a set of patio doors that sat behind the table. "Thank you. Now, how cold do you think the water is, and what are the chances of Ron hearing anything?"

"Well, since it's nearly June, the water's warm during the day, but at night, it can be a bit chilly. As for Ron," he grinned cheekily. "The house is soundproofed. I'm only about a mile from town and the trains come through at least three times a night. I had to make sure they weren't going to disturb my guests when they stayed here, even though I would probably have gotten used to it after a while."  
"Good. Now for the first thing I want." She led the way to the edge of the water. "I want you to strip down." Harry did as she asked without hesitation down to his boxers. She smiled evilly. "Everything, Harry." He shrugged and slid them off as well, not in the least bit shy of exposing his body to her. After all, though it had been three years since the fact, she 'had' seen him this way. He handed all his clothes over to her when she held out her hand.

"Now what?" He shivered a bit as a cool breeze blew across his back yard. Hermione looked up at the clear sky, noting that the moon was hidden behind a tree. That served her purpose well.  
"Now I want you to get into the water." He balked at this.

"You 'did' hear me about it being chilly at night, didn't you?" Hermione laughed.

"Of course I did, but you'll get used to it. Now, go on." Harry gave her another look that said he thought she was bonkers, gritted his teeth and stepped into the dark water. He gasped when he was up to calf level and turned back to Hermione.

"Happy now?" he asked. She shook her head.

"Farther out, to your shoulders, and dunk your head under, too."

"Hermione, I still have my glasses on, and I'm going to freeze if I go out that far." She silently held out her hand for him to hand over his glasses.

"You're cruel," he chuckled, taking them off and giving them to her. "Anything else when I get out there?" he asked, realizing that she wasn't going to let him off the hook.

"Yes, when you come back to the surface after dunking your head, I want you to close your eyes and slowly count to one hundred."

He gave a small groan, but nodded and started out into the water. Hermione giggled as his gasps from the cold water reached her ears when he reached waist and chest level. She had an idea forming in her head for what was next, and conjured a small table, placing his glasses and a note that appeared out of the blue, one that she'd mentally written, next to them, weighing it down with a small rock from the ground to keep it from blowing away. A sound from the water told her that Harry had now dunked under, and it was time to begin the next part of her plan.

Ten minutes later, she reentered the house, giggling to herself. Harry would be finished with his counting soon, he was up to the sixties, but he was in no way finished with his task. Hermione smiled broadly as she closed the door and headed up to her room. She couldn't resist watching from her window to see what happened when he came out of the water.

"Ninety-eight, ninety-nine, one hundred." Harry opened his eyes, and looked around, squinting in the darkness of his back yard. He couldn't see where Hermione was, and shivered as he began heading to shore. She was nowhere around, but a table was almost directly in front of him, bearing his glasses and a note addressed to him. He snatched them up and tore the envelope open as soon as he was able to see once more. He continued to look around for Hermione as he drew the paper out and unfolded it.

Harry-

This was only the first on the list of things I want you to do for me. The next will be tomorrow, I'll let you know when.

XOXOXO,  
Hermione

P.S. Your clothes are scattered all over. Have fun finding them.

Harry crumpled the note in his hand as he let out a cross between a growl and laughter. He looked up towards the window of her room, but it was totally dark.

"Little minx," he muttered with a laugh, and started looking for his clothing.


	11. Going Shopping

Cherished Memories - Chapter 11

Going Shopping

Disclaimer- I don't own Harry, Ron, Hermione, or any of the other characters. If I did, I'd have all the money and definitely have rewritten that epilogue.

"You all right, Harry? You don't look as if you slept too well," Ron said the next morning as Harry joined him at the table in the kitchen.

"I didn't, really," he yawned back. It had taken him until nearly sunrise to find all of his clothes, Hermione had scattered them everywhere. His shirt had been under a bush, one sock in the birdbath (fortunately, there hadn't been any water in it at the time), the other sock in the handle of the garden shed door, but she had made his lower clothing damn near impossible to find. He finally located his boxers in a tree, and having given up on his sweatpants twenty minutes after, had nearly tripped over them when he stepped onto the patio. "I was up really late looking for a few things."  
Hermione struggled to surpress a grin from behind the counter.

"Did you find what you were looking for?" she asked bringing Harry a cup of coffee. He met her eyes and nodded.

"Yes, but it took a long time to find the last item. You might say I had to 'stumble over it' before I found it." Ron looked back and forth between his friends and shrugged. He had a feeling somthing was going on with them, but didn't want a repeat of the other day. He'd wanted to drop the subject of Harry's secret when Harry had become upset, and thankfully, the situation with Morgan had done the trick. Harry yawned again and took a sip of his coffee.

"Fortunately, today is Saturday, and I don't have anywhere to go, and all of my cases are suspended for the time being."

"The time being?" Ron asked.

"That means I can't do anything more with them until at least Monday morning. I need access to some records that are in the Fort Wayne courthouse, and they won't let me see them until I get the proper clearance. That should arrive Monday." He thanked Hermione as she set plates in front of him and Ron, then smiled broadly as a thought came to him. "Hey, you want to go there with me today?"

"Where is Fort Wayne, again?"

"It's in Indiana, next state west, about an hour or two away. I figure we could go there today and I'll show you Glenbrook mall." He looked hopefully at Ron, then Hermione. Ron shrugged.

"I have nothing else to do," he said.

"Of course you don't. You don't live or work here, you prat," Hermione jokingly admonished him. "Sure, let's go, Harry."

"Great! Just let me finish this," he indicated his breakfast, "get dressed and we'll go." he began shoveling eggs into his mouth. Ron and Hermione laughed at his childlike enthusiasm and joy at having his two best friends back in his life. Harry grinned sheepishly when he realized what was so funny.

"So, is there anything else you want to do while we're in Fort Wayne?" Harry asked an hour later. They had just passed the Indiana border, and he had been telling them about some of the other things they could see and do.

"How far away is the zoo once we get to Fort Wayne?" Hermione asked distractedly, not really appearing to be listening. She was flipping through Harry's CD collection, and thinking of what she wanted him to do for her next. She'd watched him scour the yard in search of his clothing, and had been trying to come up with a way to involve Ron as well. She didn't want to frighten Harry off or disturb Ron, but she'd always wanted to see this done. How to ask about it was the problem. Ron was in the backseat, reading an owl he'd gotten from Luna while they waited for Harry to change for the day, and didn't seem to be paying much attention to what was going on around him.

"About fifteen, twenty minutes. But that's another whole day thing. I was thinking more along the lines of going to Uno or possibly Pierre's? What do you think, Ron?"

"Sorry, what?" Ron finally looked up from his letter, a small grin on his face. "Don't mean to space out, but Luna got an owl from the Ministry wondering where I am, and the bright little thing that she is, she told them I was with her father on holiday, looking for the crumple horned snorkack. Oh! And we took Hermione with us." He dropped his eyes back to the sheet of parchment.

"Crumple horned snorkack," Hermione muttered with a chuckle. She chose a CD and slid it into the player. Calm, soothing classical music began playing from the speakers. Harry smiled at the memory of the first time they had heard of the imaginary creature. Seemed that Luna still believed in its exsistance. The tranquility was inturrupted a minute later by a loud whoop of delight from Ron. Harry cringed as his friend was directly behind him.

"What was that about?" he asked, taking one hand off the steering wheel to check his hearing by tapping on his ear to check that he could still hear with it.

"Charlie is back at the Burrow, and he brought his wife!"

"Wife?" Hermione questioned. "The last we knew, Charlie didn't even have a 'girlfriend', much less a wife."

"That's not all. Turns out that I'm going to be an uncle again. To not one, not two, but three!"

"What? She's pregnant with 'triplets'?" Harry asked. Ron shook his head.

"No. She 'is' pregnant, but so is Alicia, George has asked her to marry him, and they've set the date for month after next, and Ginny, too!"

"That's great, Ron! I guess Ginny and Dean are going to have to move their wedding up a bit now," Hermione congratulated him.

"That's the other thing. Ginny and Dean got married the night you and I came to find Harry." Harry started laughing. "What?" Ron asked.

"Seems there's a lot going on with the Weasleys this week. The next thing you know, Luna will be telling you 'you're' going to be a father." Ron grinned with a blush, then returned to his letter. A gasp a second later caught Harry and Hermione's attention. Harry looked in the rearview mirror and Ron raised shocked eyes to meet his.

"How did you know?" he whispered.

"Are you serious!" Hermione reached back to snatch the letter from Ron and skimmed it as fast as she could.

"It's true!" she crowed when she found the verification. "Luna says that although it's not for sure yet, she's missed a couple of months, and has gone to St. Mungo's for the tests. She'll know in a few more days. Harry laughed.

"Then this calls for a celebration! Ron, I want you to choose where you want to eat, and we'll go there."

"Harry, you don't have to do that, really. Besides, I don't know any restaurants in America other than the Burger King and The Newstand in Bryan." His refusal was waved away.

"There's all sorts of places in Fort Wayne. What are you in the mood for?"

"Nothing at the moment," Hermione said, returning the letter to Ron and slipping back into her musings.

"Not now," Harry chuckled. "I meant later, when we're all hungry again. I know! I'll take you to one of my favorite places. They have the best pizzas and a seafood salad to die for." Hermione nodded her approval, and Ron grinned when Harry looked in the mirror to get his opinion. Harry then returned his eyes to the road, sparing a short glance to Hermione a minute later. She'd been so distracted since he'd come down to breakfast and he wondered what she could possibly be thinking of.

'How am I going to ask Harry to do this for me?' Hermione pondered, staring blankly out her window. She vaguely noticed when the large open spaces were beginning to be filled in with houses and stores. 'I want to see it, but I don't think Ron would go for it. It may just freak him out a bit too much. Maybe I should ask 'him' first, but then I'd have to explain why I want him to do it, and tell him that it's one of my fantasies. No, can't do that.'

"Hermione!" She shook her head and looked around.

"What?"

"Finally! We've only been saying your name for the last five minutes," Ron blustered. "Harry was just saying that he's going to take us to Jefferson Pointe later so he can show you the ginormous book store they have out there."

"Really! Oh, Harry, thank-you! I've been looking for some new books to read, but nothing in the shops in London sounds interesting."

"Well, then, look what's coming up on your right," Harry answered with a nod in the direction about two blocks away. Hermione looked and let out a squeal that almost shattered the windshield. "Ow. Maybe we should wait to go into Borders until I can hear again?" He and Ron rubbed their ears.

"NO!" Hermione roared. Harry and Ron laughed. "I'll hex you if you make me wait now that you've shown me this!"

"Duly noted. All right, we'll go there first. But not for long. Glenbrook's right here," he indicated across the street as he pulled into the bookstore's parking lot. "And I want to do some shopping, too." He parked the car and Hermione was out and hurrying for the store before he'd even turned off the engine. Harry and Ron exchanged looks. "She hasn't changed much since Hogwarts, I see."

"Not really, but Harry, are you still going to tell me what happened? I mean you didn't see her when we were boarding the train to go back to London. What happened between the two of you?" He held up his hands when Harry's eyes started flashing. "You don't 'have' to tell me, but you were pretty set on it the other day." They walked into the store, Harry looking around for Hermione, finding her at the back in the travel section.  
"How did she look?" he asked softly. "I mean other than like she was mourning the loss of her parents."

"Like she was mourning you." His friend stopped short, and Ron nearly ran into his back.

"Huh?" was the only thing Harry could say as he turned around.

"I don't know how else to explain it. She was crying the whole way back to London, and then to the Burrow with me and Ginny. Neither one of us could get anything about it from her. I think it had something to do with what happened between you two. Am I right?" Harry looked back at Hermione then hung his head.

"Yeah," he whispered, and raised his tormented eyes to Ron's. "I can't tell you anything else without Hermione's say so, but I felt then that my friendship with her was over because of what happened."

He moved over to the audio section, looking through some of the Rock/Rap CD selections, picking a few and moving on to classical. Ron felt he had the problem sorted out, but wanted to talk to Hermione a bit to make sure, and told Harry he was going exploring. Without waiting for a response, he made a beeline for Hermione, who was now in the general fiction.

"You and Harry slept together." he quietly said when she'd looked up. The smile that had been on her face vanished immediately.

"So he told you?" she asked, moving past him along the shelves. Ron was astonished that she didn't even try to deny it.

"No, but it was pretty damn easy to figure out. I just wanted to make sure, and Harry's eyes told me I was right. And you just confirmed it."  
Hermione looked over to where Harry was still rifling through the CD's, then turned back to the shelves, clutching the books she was holding to her chest. She was silent for almost ten minutes.

"Ron, it was between Harry and I. It should have stayed that way, but either he's really bad at hiding secrets, or I am. Whatever the reason, I don't want to talk about it right now. I'm sure he doesn't, either. Now please, don't bring it up again while we're in Fort Wayne."

"Are you two done?" came Harry's voice. Ron looked behind him and saw their friend heading in their direction. Harry held up the bag he was carrying. "I'm all set." Hermione nodded and moved past him to the cashier.

"We need to talk when we get back to Bryan," Harry whispered to Ron as they followed her out the door a few minutes later. "I think it's time Hermione and I revealed what happened, no matter how much it hurts our friendship." He headed on to the car. Ron stood still for a few seconds.

"You mean 'the 'rest' of what happened, mate." 


	12. The Whole Truth

Cherished Memories- Chapter 12

The Whole Truth

Disclaimer- I don't own Harry, Ron, Hermione, or any of the other characters. If I did, I'd have all the money and definitely have rewritten that epilogue.

Ron followed his friends into the living room and sat down when Harry gestured for them to do so.

"All right. No more. Hermione, I heard your conversation with Ron in Border's. We have to get this out in the open before it kills us." She hesitated, then nodded. "Ron, it's true. It was Hermione that I lost my virginity to. She gave me hers as well. I'm not ashamed that it happened, just the 'way' it happened. We were both quite drunk, Hermione was grieving her parents' deaths and I was lost as to what I was going to do with my life. I feel that I sort of took advantage of the fact that she was offering herself to me, and even though she told me that she wanted to sleep with me, I'm going to feel that way forever. Maybe it would have been different if we hadn't been loaded, maybe not. But we'll never know." He smirked. "Unless we find a time turner that is, and somehow stop ourselves from drinking that mess in the first place." He chuckled to himself, remembering the last time he'd dealt with traveling through time.

"Why didn't you just tell me that the other day when I asked?"

"Because I didn't want to say anything in case Hermione regretted what we had done, and even though I'm telling you now, I wish we had been able to keep it just between the two of us. But you just wouldn't let it go, and I realized that the best thing to do would be to tell you the truth."

"You aren't upset about it, are you Ron?" Hermione asked.

"Of course not. I had the feeling that there was something between you two all during seventh year, and I started with Luna, so, no. I'm happy for you, really."

"Why would you be happy for us? We slept together, that was it. I ran off a few hours later and have been here ever since, end of story."

"Is it?" Ron questioned, gaining confused looks from Harry and Hermione. He shifted position so that he could look at them both. "From what I saw then, and what I've seen over the last few days, there's more to the story than what you two are admitting." He stood up and headed to the door. "I think I'll leave you alone so that you can talk about it." They stared at the door long after it had shut behind him. Harry finally broke the silence.

"What the bloody hell just happened?"

"I was hoping you would be able to tell me," Hermione replied, turning in her seat to face him. "What did he mean, 'there's more to the story'? What else could there be?"

"I dunno. We were drunk, we slept together, I ran off thinking that we had destroyed our friendship in doing so, you two came and found me three years later. Sounds like that's the whole thing right there."

"That's what I was just thinking," she muttered, not really believing what she'd just said one whit. Harry hadn't felt the same way she did that night by the Black Lake, she was sure of it, but it didn't stop the hurt and tears that had ensued when she'd found out he'd fled. She stood up, stretching. "Harry?"

"Yeah?"

"What do you have planned for tomorrow?" He shook his head.

"Nothing. Why?"

"I was wondering. Do you think we could go to the library?" Harry smiled.

"We could if they were open. It's closed on Sunday, but I do have to go to the grocery store again. I forgot how much Ron eats."

Hermione grinned slightly, her mind still half on what Ron could have possibly meant.

"Well," Harry went on, bringing her attention to the present, "I'm going to bed. See you in the morning." He headed to the door and she was sure she heard him mutter, "Unless you come to me before, that is."

She whipped around in his direction, but he was gone. Slumping in her seat, she began forming the next phase of her plan around those very words.

"Not tonight, Harry," she snickered to herself, "Not tonight. You still have to do what 'I' want before you get what 'you' want. And I think I just figured out how to involve Ron." 


	13. You Have To Help me, Ron!

Cherished Memories- Chapter 13

You Have To Help Me, Ron!

Disclaimer- I don't own Harry, Ron, Hermione, or any of the other characters. If I did, I'd have all the money and definitely have rewritten that epilogue.

"Why do you want me to do this again?"

"Ron, just promise me that whatever Harry asks you to do, you'll agree. Please?" Hermione begged. She had to get him to agree to this quickly. She could hear Harry coming down the hallway. He entered the room before Ron answered her, Hermione moved away from the counter guiltily, but Harry didn't even look in her direction. He had his cell phone to his ear and was nodding in agreement to whatever the person on the other end was telling him.

"Right," he said, grabbing a pen and pad of paper from a shelf by the door and sitting down at the table. He wrote down a few things, still nodding to himself. "So you and the kids are staying there until after the courtdate." Hermione gathered he was talking to Morgan, and this was confirmed the next minute when the conversation seemed to shift to another person.

"Who's he talking to?" Ron asked softly. Hermione shushed him with a wave of her hand, still listening to Harry's side.

"Yes, Mr. Carle. I am totally prepared to testify at Jeffrey's trial. I have all the evidence on him locked up in my office, and two eyewitnesses that saw the damage he'd done to Morgan's face." He nodded yet again, looking finally towards Hermione and Ron. Hermione smiled at Harry, recieving one in return. "I just have to gather them up to send them to your office."

He pulled the phone away from his ear and pressed a button before setting it down on the table and standing up. Ron jumped with surprise to hear a voice apparently coming from nowhere as Harry passed him on his way to the fridge. Hermione had explained cell phones to him, but had left this bit out. Maybe Harry had put a charm on it?

"Speaker phone," Harry muttered to him when he saw the expression on his friend's face. He put milk and fruit on the counter, then turned to the cupboard for the cereal.

"I want this bastard locked away for the rest of his natural life! My grandchildren are traumatized from what they saw, and the knowledge of what their 'father' could have done to their mother."

Harry, finding that he was out of cereal, turned and gave Ron a mock scathing look, then returned the milk and fruit to the fridge. He stood there for a minute while Morgan's father went on about the charges against his son-in-law, and grabbed a container of yogurt. Hermione's jaw dropped as the list the man was rattling off just went on and on.

"Not to mention the fact that he's been abusing Morgan for the last three years! I need your guarantee that he'll be in prison until he dies." Harry swallowed the spoonful of yogurt in his mouth as he sat back down next to his phone.

"You have it. I have proof on all the charges, and then some. He's never going to see the light of day once we get into that courtroom, I promise."

"All right then. Hang on, someone else wants to talk to you." Hermione smiled when she heard a small voice come over the line next.

"Uncle Harry?" Harry smiled as well.

"Hey, sweetie. How you doing?"

"O.K. Mommy says we're gonna see you soon."

"That's right. I'm going to be there in about two weeks. You know how long that is?" The little girl was silent for a second, then giggled.

"Fourteen days," she said confidently.

"That's right. Good guess, Annie."

"Mommy wants to talk now. Bye, Uncle Harry!"

"Bye, Annie," he chuckled.

"Harry, I have to get to an appointment at a school for the children, but I wanted to tell you thanks."

"You don't have to thank me, Morgan. I was only doing my job."

"Since when did your job discription ever include 'bodyguard'?"

"Since your dad hired me, right from the beginning, but that was the only time it was ever needed, thank God." Morgan sighed.

"Well, I'm just glad that it's over and that it didn't turn out any worse than it did. Now I really have to get to my appointment, so I'll let you go and see you at Jeff's trial."

"O.K. See you then."

"Bye, Harry."

"Bye." He disconnected the call and closed the phone with a small snap. He looked up at Ron and Hermione. "Good morning."

"Morning, Harry. Sorry about the cereal," Ron apologized.

"It's alright. I'll just have to go to the store today."

"You said that last night," Hermione said, sitting across from him.

"Speaking of which, did you two sort everything out?" Ron asked.

"There was nothing to sort, we told you what happened, and that's the end of it. Period." Harry finshed his yogurt, stood and tossed the cup into the trashcan. "You want to go to the library tomorrow, Hermione?" he asked, in obvious attempt to change the subject. She took the hint and nodded. Ron, however, was not to be detered.

"Hang on! Yeah, you told me what happened, but there has to be more to the story than that, there 'has' to be. Take for instance when I walked in the living room the other day and you two were kissing! You telling me that there was nothing to 'that'?" Hermione blushed, and Harry cleared his throat uncomfortably.

"You explained that yourself," he said quickly. Hermione remembered this as well and nodded.

"Yeah! All that 'excess energy from not going out with someone', I think you said it was."

Thank God Ron hadn't walked in a few seconds earlier. He would have witnessed the whole exchange and then she and Harry would 'really' have something to explain. But explain what? She didn't even know, herself. "O.K.," she said, clapping her hands together, startling Harry and Ron in the process. What are we going to do today?" Ron, knowing that the subject of Harry and Hermione's peculiar behavior was being shelved yet again, rolled his eyes and made a mental note to talk to Harry alone later.

"Well, there really isn't a lot to do in Bryan," replied Harry, looking at the clock as he leaned against the wall. "So how about after the store, we just go with the flow?" His friends nodded.

"Sure we can figure out something, Harry," said Ron. "And if you have to disappear or anything for a bit, I'll understand."

"Disappear?" Hermione said, giving Ron a suspicious look.

"To look for clues, information, stuff like that," he explained.

"Well, don't you mean 'we'll' understand, then?"

"Ron," Harry chuckled, breaking off the budding 'discussion'. "Don't worry. Not all my cases need my twenty-four hour attention. I think the fact that we went to Fort Wayne yesterday proves that?" He looked at the clock again, a thoughtful expression on his face. "I've got it!" he announced a minute later. "How about we skip the groceries for right now and I take you two to Cedar Point?"

"What's that?" Ron asked.

"It's an amusement theme park in Sandusky, about three or four hours from here. Of course, that's by driving." Harry looked at them with a mischievous glimmer in his eyes.

"What, you don't intend to drive?" Hermione asked.

"Oh, no. That would take too long, and we'd miss out on some of the best rides. "We'll take the car, of course, but as a portkey at first." He started to the door, listing things that they would need to take with them. Hermione stiffened a bit as Harry left the room on the word 'swimsuit', and looked around at Ron.

"I don't have a swimsuit," she said. "Harry would be able to lend you one, I'm sure, but..." She looked down at herself.

"Don't worry about that, Hermione," Harry said, coming back into the kitchen, a large canvas bag in his hand. "We're going to portkey to Toledo. Trust me, there are so many cars there that they won't notice us appear out of nowhere. 'Specially if we appear behind an abandoned building I know about. I own it, so it's not about to be torn down."

He looked up and grinned.

"Actually, I should say I own the 'lot' and they can't tear down a building that isn't really there. It's like Hogwarts in reverse. The Muggles see a building, so they don't try to build something there, and they would have to get the lot from me anyway to do that, and I have a safe place to portkey my car to when I need to get to Toledo in a hurry."

"Hang on, Harry," Ron began as he watched Harry moving around the kitchen, packing things into the bag he was carrying. "You mean to tell us you've placed a charm on an empty lot to look like there's a building there, and you portkey to this spot all the time?" His friend nodded. "That's bloody 'brilliant'!"

"You don't get in trouble with the Magical Law enforcement here for unauthorized portkeys?" Hermione asked nervously. Harry shook his head.

"They know what it is that I do, and they consider me as a sort of 'Auror' but for the most part I help Muggles. I just use magic to do it. They said that it falls under a few different Magical Laws, but they won't bother me if I don't get out of hand with it. They've given me pretty much a free pass to do what I want when I need to. Long as it isn't illegal in the Muggle world or Magical, I'm fine."

He finished packing the bag and zipped it shut. "Well?" he inquired, "Are you two going to get dressed, or are you going in your pajamas?" They looked down at themselves, then back at Harry. He was the only one dressed for the day, wearing a t-shirt, shorts and running shoes. Ron and Hermione laughed.

"Give us about twenty minutes," Hermione said, taking Ron's hand and pulling him up and out of the room. As soon as they were out of earshot of the kitchen, she stopped and turned on the tall redhead.

"So are you going to do this for me or not?" He remembered what they had been discussing before Harry had come in and inturrupted them.

"Hermione, I dunno about this. You want me to go along with whatever Harry asks me, I don't have any idea what that might include. I don't want to do anything that would cause problems with me and Luna."

"And you won't." She turned and headed up the stairs. "I sent her an owl and she said that whatever I need from you is fine with her."

"What?" Ron stammered, hurrying to catch up. "You wrote to Luna?"

"Yes." She stopped just past Ron's bedroom door and looked over her shoulder at him, tears standing in her brown eyes. "Ron, I'm going to be honest with you and if you say one word, I will curse you till the end of the century." She looked past him, then met his eyes again. "I'm in love with Harry."

"Duh."

"No, I'm 'desperately' in love with Harry." She turned around to him. "That last night at Hogwarts, I wasn't just grieving for my parents, I was grieving for my lost chance with Harry. It depressed me so much that I couldn't eat, or sleep, and I was just barely functioning. I had to get out of Gryffindor tower and away from him bothering me. I was hurting that bad, feeling even worse because I was upset about losing Harry more than my mum and dad. I took the bottle of firewhiskey that he'd brought over and, fully intending to get him out of my head at least for the night, I said I was going for a walk. He'd been getting me a plate of food, and insisted on following me with it. We got down to the lake and just started talking, about what we were going to do with our lives, well, more like what 'he' was going to do, and I lied to him about why I was drinking the firewhiskey in the first place. I told him it was only because of my parents. After a few more slugs of the stuff, I gave in to what my body wanted. I asked him to kiss me, and...we did it right there by the Black Lake. I had no idea that he would regret it and run off. That's why I haven't been in a relationship since Hogwarts, I'm too much in love with Harry to even think about anyone else." Ron stared at her, dumbstruck. Hermione was about to continue, but heard Harry's footsteps coming up the stairs. "Don't say anything to Harry. Please!" she hissed quickly, and without waiting for an answer, she ran off to her room.

"You forget where your room is?" Harry joked as he appeared at the end of the hall. Ron looked around at him. Harry pointed to the door with a grin. "Right there."

"Yeah," Ron said turning to enter his room. "I was just thinking." He went in and closed the door, leaving his green-eyed friend confused in the hallway.

"What was that about?" Harry muttered, scratching his head. Shrugging, he started towards his own door, reaching it just as Hermione came out. "Ready!" she chirped. He grinned at her, taking in the outfit she had changed into.

"Perfect for Cedar Point, trust me." She beamed and made to go downstairs. "Hey," Harry stopped her. "You know what's up with Ron? He's being awfully wierd today."

"Maybe he's thinking of Luna and what the result of her test is going to be," Hermione answered, mentally congratulating herself for her quick thinking. "You forget something?"

"Huh?"

"You're dressed and you came back upstairs. Did you forget something?"

"Oh, yeah. Um...well, it was two things really. The first was that I forgot my wand. No way am I leaving that behind. I never go anywhere without it anymore." He grinned at her and turned to retrieve the wand from his bedside table. She followed him into the room.

"What was the second thing?" Harry looked over his shoulder past her to the door and beckoned her closer. She walked around his bed, a curious look on her face.

"I was hoping to catch you away from Ron."

"Really?" Her eyebrows rose almost to meet with her wild hair. She hardly dared hope about the reason. "Why?"

"I wanted to ask you if..." He dropped his eyes to the floor and muttered something that she didn't hear.

"Excuse me?" she asked.

"I wanted to ask if you would go out to dinner with me tomorrow night?" he repeated at normal level. Hermione's heart began pounding, and her breath caught in her throat for a minute. She composed herself just as he looked up for her answer.

"I'd love to, Harry," she said with a smile. This brought a grin to his face. Hermione turned and crossed to the door. "That gives me just enough time to figure out my next little task for you," she added as she disappeared around the corner. Harry's jaw dropped and he chuckled to himself.

"Next little task. Of course." Under his breath he added, "And maybe that little task will include us giving my bed another use than me sleeping in it."

He followed her out of the room. 


	14. Swimsuits And Cedar Point

Cherished Memories- Chapter 14

Swimsuits and Cedar Point

Disclaimer- I don't own Harry, Ron, Hermione, or any of the other characters. If I did, I'd have all the money and definitely have rewritten that epilogue.

"Hey, Harry! How about this one?"

Harry turned from the rack of sunglasses he was looking through to see what Ron was talking about. He laughed when he saw the hideous green and red suit his friend was holding and shook his head.

"You'd look like a sick salamander," he retorted, turning his head in the direction of the fitting room that Hermione had disappeared into nearly ten minutes previous. "You O.K., Hermione?" he asked, heading over to the door he knew she was behind.

"Yes," Hermione answered, "I'm just not sure of this swimsuit."

"Well, why don't you come out and let me and Ron tell you what we think?"

"No, I don't think so. I'll get the first one that I tried on. It's the one that I like the most and I really don't look all that good in this one. Sort of like a toad."

Harry shuddered involuntarily as he remembered Umbridge at the mention of toads. Hermione stepped out of the dressing room a minute later and they headed to the front of the department store to pay for their purchases as Ron picked out a gold and green suit that complimented his hair rather than clashing with it.

"Ron, calm down. It's not as bad as it looks," Harry chuckled from behind his friend. He grinned at Hermione, who was sitting to his right. Ron was whimpering softly as he watched what was going on ahead of them.

"Not that bad?" Ron moaned over his shoulder as he heard a series of screams. "I can't believe I let you talk me into this, Hermione!"

They began to move slowly forward and Ron's whimpering grew more pronounced, causing the teenaged girl next to him to ask if he was all right.

"Don't worry about him," Harry answered her. "He'll be fine."

They started climbing the first hill and the whimpers stopped. Harry looked up and saw Ron's arms were shaking with the effort of holding onto the harness. The front car reached the crest of the hill and began to plummet off the other side, dragging the others with it. Hermione let out a piercing shriek as the rollercoaster's track, above their heads, turned to the right, making it appear as if they were going to crash into the trees in front of them. Harry laughed with delight and amusement at his friends' reactions. As the ride continued, Ron relaxed and enjoyed it, screaming with laughter as they sped around curves and down the final hill.

"I wanna go again!" he exclaimed when they'd exited the car and headed towards the stairs to the ground.

"How 'bout this? You go on it again with Hermione, and I'll go wait for you by Thunder Canyon."

Hermione turned a horror struck gaze to him.

"Thunder Canyon?" she asked. "After the..." she looked up behind her at the name of the rollercoaster. "Iron Dragon, you want me to ride something called 'Thunder Canyon'?" She sat down on the edge of a bench. "And I don't think I'm ready to ride that again so soon, Ron." She waved her hand weakly at the Dragon.

"Actually," said Harry. "Apart from the Mine Ride and the Kid Coasters, the Iron Dragon is the tamest rollercoaster here." He gestured around to the Corkscrew and the Raptor to make his point, then sat next to Hermione. "And as for Thunder Canyon, it's not what you think. Snake River Falls is the one you want to watch out for. You wanna come with me and I'll show you while Ron goes on the Dragon again?" He looked at her as he stood up. She glanced past him to Ron, who nodded quickly, the expression on his face saying, 'Are you kidding? You have to think about it? Go on!' She nodded and held out a hand to Harry.

"Ron," Harry said, taking it and helping her to her feet. "When you get off, we'll be down that way." He pointed down a shady path. "Just keep going to the right, follow the sound of the water, and you'll find Snake River Falls on the other side of Thunder Canyon. Head over to it and we'll be sitting on the bench there." Ron nodded, gave Hermione a wink, and joined the line of the Iron Dragon again.  
"Come on, Harry." He started, looking around at Hermione. She was standing about thirty feet away in the direction he'd pointed. He realized then he must have been staring at Ron for a bit. He followed after Hermione, glancing back over his shoulder.  
"What was that about?" he asked when he'd caught up.

"What?"

"Ron winked at you. Why'd he do that?"

"Haven't a clue. Now come on, or he'll be there before we are." Harry looked back once more and shrugged, then led the way to the bench.  
"What's this?" Hermione asked when they'd sat down. Harry looked up to where she was pointing.

"This is Snake River Falls," he replied, turning to look at her. She was staring at it, awestruck.

"Can we go on it?" Harry laughed.

"After what you said back by the Iron Dragon about Thunder Canyon's name and what I told you about this one," he jerked his head toward the ride where several people were shrieking as their boat slid down a waterfall into the water at the bottom. "You want to go on it?" She nodded, and clasped her hands in front of her, a pleading look on her face. "All right," he laughed again. "We'll go on it as soon as Ron gets here."

"Can't we go now?" Hermione asked. "I wanna go on it right now. Ron can wait for us for a minute, can't he? That's what we're doing for him."

"O.K.! O.K.! Come on, we'll go on it now." He led her over to the line and they got into the middle row of what looked to Hermione to be a gigantic log. Harry pulled the bar down over their laps, and a minute later, the ride began to move. It rattled them along on its chain to the top of a twenty some odd foot hill then leveled off, moving slowly around the corners with the current, then they found themselves looking down upon the people watching from the line, under the trees and on a bridge that was the exit from the ride. Harry had only the briefest moment to see that Ron wasn't at the bench yet before the boat tipped forward and dropped at a seventy-five degree angle to the water below. Hermione screamed all the way down. They slammed into the water, then the back end hit as well, showering all the people with two waves of water. Hermione had managed to avoid most of it and laughed hysterically when she saw Harry's hair plastered to his head.

"Just wait, Granger," he growled laughingly, wiping the streams of water out of his eyes and putting his glasses back on. "You'll get yours in a minute." They got out of the boat and started across the bridge. Harry stopped Hermione in the middle. "Hang on, you've got to see this."

"What?" He didn't answer, but she found out a minute later when the next boat landed in the water. A third wave drenched the people standing on the bridge, Hermione catching the full force of it as Harry had placed her right against the rail.

"Harry James Potter!" she cried, chasing him back around to the bench where Ron was now sitting, looking confused. He heard Hermione's yell, and looked up to see his two friends, dripping wet, racing around a group of Japanese tourists towards him.

"What happened to you?" he asked as Harry flew past him and attempted to hide behind the bench.

"Just gave Hermione what she deserved after she laughed at me on Snake River Falls," he laughed, poking his head up from behind Ron to see if she'd stopped chasing him. What he saw made his jaw drop. Hermione had stripped off her t-shirt and was wringing it out on the ground. She was wearing the suit she'd bought underneath, a string bikini in pale pink and gold, and it showed off her curves quite nicely, if the looks she was getting from passing males was any indication.

"Nice suit, Hermione," Ron said.

"Thanks," she answered, attempting to pull her shirt back on. After struggling with it for a few seconds, she gave up and tugged it off again. "It was the one that looked the best on me."

"I'll say," Harry said, coming out from behind the bench. Ron and Hermione looked at him in surprise. Harry realized what he'd said and blushed furiously. "I mean..." he attempted to explain.

"It's O.K., Harry," Hermione laughed. "Thank you for the compliment."

"You're welcome," he muttered, still blushing. Ron winked at Hermione again, but this time, Harry did not see. He was too absorbed in the battle his mind was waging with his body. When he'd somewhat gained control of himself again, he cleared his throat. "Well, ready to go on Thunder Canyon?" He headed off, leaving the other two to follow him.

"Hermione!" Ron whispered as they started after Harry. "I don't know what you're up to, but don't stop!"

"What are you talking about?"

"You can't tell me that you didn't see the way Harry was looking at you just now. His eyes were practically out of his head!"

"That was because he's never seen me in a bikini, Ron. He was just surprised that I would choose to wear something like this, that's all." Ron snorted unbelievingly. "What?"

"Have you forgotten the 'compliment' he gave you already? You were making him drool on himself, 'Mione. And being a guy, I know when another guy is trying to hide a certain physical state, and Harry was almost to that point." They caught up with Harry and halted their conversation.

The line moved quickly and they soon found themselves buckled into seats in a large round boat that had about two inches of water in its bottom.  
"It's not going to sink is it?" Hermione whispered to Harry, who was on her left. He didn't answer, and she turned to look at him. "Harry?" He jumped and whipped his head towards her.

"Sorry, what?"

"This boat, it isn't going to sink is it?" She indicated the water at their feet. Harry shook his head.

"No, it's because of the small waterfalls that we'll be going through." She nodded, satisfied with his explanation and settled herself in as the last person buckled their seatbelt. Harry was feeling very unnerved about her appearance and the fact that he still hadn't totally won the war that he was fighting to keep his blood where it belonged. He knew that her suit was going to become even more soaked on this ride and the falls were sometimes extremely cold. That may be a help to him while they were on the boat, but he knew what cold temperatures did to a woman's upper body. That thought made him shift position as they neared the first fall.

"What did I tell you?" Ron whispered to Hermione. He nodded towards Harry, having seen his friend's actions.

"What are you on about now?" she retorted. The boat sailed through the waterfall, the people on the far side of the boat squealing as they were drenched. Ron leaned closer to her to ensure that he wouldn't be overheard.

"Harry's got a raging hard on." Hermione's jaw dropped just as the boat spun around and she was hit by a second waterfall that was right behind her. When they'd exited the boat and made their way from the ride, Harry pulled Hermione a little ways back so Ron wouldn't overhear him. She flushed hearing his words, knowing what was behind them.

"Tell me what you want."

"What do you mean?"

"Don't act innocent, Hermione." She turned at the end of the path and stopped short. Harry's green eyes were feverish with desire. "You know what I meant. Tell me what you want and I'll do it. Here and now."

"Harry," Hermione giggled. "You can't do what I want you to do here." She resumed her course after Ron. "You'd get arrested for obscenity."

"Hang on," Harry said, catching up to her and touching her wrist lightly. "Isn't there 'anything' that I can do?" She looked down, back up and smiled.

"You're really uncomfortable, aren't you?" He nodded, biting his lower lip. She took his hand. "Come with me." She moved through the park, past Ron, who was shaking the water out of his hair. He saw she was searching for something. She looked back over her shoulder as she pulled Harry behind a closed up building. She saw Ron grin and wink at her again as the two of them disappeared from sight.

Harry looked around the secluded area she'd brought them to for a second, and gasped when her hands went straight for the zipper of his shorts. She had it down, pulled him free, and was on her knees before him in a matter of seconds.

"Oh my God!" Harry hissed when her lips circled around the blood engorged tip of his erection. He wet his lips with his tongue and looked down to watch what she was doing to him. He repeated himself and she looked up into his eyes.

"You like this?" she asked, stroking his length in her fist before taking him as far as she could into her warm wet mouth. Harry's answer was to take hold of the sides of her head, wrapping his fingers in her wet hair. It was taking a fair bit of concentration for him to let her continue instead of pulling her up and sinking his throbbing member deep into her body.

"Oh, Merlin, Hermione," he moaned softly. "That feels incredible!"

"You know what you can do for me right now?" she asked pulling back to stroke him again. He shook his head. "Exactly what you're already doing. Just enjoy this." With that, she began sucking him with absolute abandon. In the back of his mind, Harry knew this wasn't a good place to be getting a blow job, someone could come around the corner any second. but that thought only served to excite him more, and it wasn't much longer that he had to warn Hermione that he was about to errupt. She simply turned shining brown eyes to his green and added her hand into the act.

"Oh, God!" Harry panted, feeling it almost on top of him. "Hermione, ooohh, I'm going to... UUNNNNHHH!" His hips smasmed, he jerked under her hands, and her mouth was flooded by his hot, salty fluid. She swallowed repeatedly, pumping him for the last drops, then licked him clean until he'd gone completely soft.

"Do I have any around my mouth?" she asked cheekily when he was covered and his clothes were straightened.  
"No," he sighed.

"Good. That would have been awkward." She stood up and held out her hand. He took it and followed out to where Ron was waiting by a caricature booth.

"Have fun?" he chuckled when they reached him. Hermione grinned, Harry blushed.

"I know Harry did," Hermione giggled, causing Harry's flush to deepen considerably.

"So what's next?" Ron asked. "I'm getting hungry. Can we get lunch?"

"Sure," said Harry, clearing his throat to help rid himself of his self-consciousness. "But trust me, you don't want to eat the food in most of the booths here. We'll go to the Red Garter."

"The what?" Ron queried as he hurried to catch up with the other two. Harry had started off as soon as he'd said where they were going, and as he was still holding Hermione's hand, she'd gone with him.

"The Red Garter Saloon," Harry said a minute later when they'd arrived at the building. He pulled open the door and let the other two in ahead of him. Hermione shivered a bit in the air conditioning and after a quick drying charm hidden behind Harry, slipped her shirt back on.

"What's the stage for?" Ron asked as they sat down near the stairs.

"They do shows in here," Harry answered, looking down at the paper he'd grabbed by the doorway. "Not for a while, though. We'll have time to eat, then we can stay for the first show, or we can head back out into the park."  
"What kind of show is it, Harry?" Hermione asked when their orders had been taken and they were sipping their drinks. Harry took a gulp of his iced tea before answering her. He needed a second to calm what her voice did to him now.

"Oldies Rock and Roll," he said finally, shifting in his chair as their server brought their food. 'How am I going to get through the rest of the day knowing she can do that with her mouth?' This thought stayed with him throughout the rest of the day, during the ride back to their Apparition point, and while they were carrying their belongings back into the house after he'd parked the car in the driveway.

Harry waited until Ron had gone upstairs to get ready for bed and headed to the formal kitchen where Hermione was hiding the fudge she'd bought in the refrigerator where Ron wouldn't think to look for and eat all of it before she could sample it.. He walked right up behind her and she bumped into him as she straightened up and closed the door.

"Harry!" she exclaimed, jumping a bit, spinning around and bringing a hand up to her chest. "You startled me."

"Hermione, please," he begged softly. She smiled knowingly and shook her head.

"You made a deal with me, Harry."

"Then tell me what you want!" he pleaded, falling back against the counter behind him. Hermione thought for a second, then moved in front of Harry and whispered in his ear. His eyes were wide with disbelief when she pulled back to look at him. "You're joking, right?"

"Absolutely not. I want you to do this very much, and you 'did' promise to do whatever I wanted you to do. You're not going to back out now, are you?"

"No! I just think that this is a bit extreme to find out how far I'd go to make love to you."

"Well, if you're not going to do it..." She moved away toward the door.

"Wait!" He crossed the room in two strides. "I didn't say that I 'wouldn't' do it."

"So then you will?" Harry closed his eyes briefly and nodded. "Good. Come on." She grabbed his hand, dragging him towards the stairs.

"What, you want me to do it now?" he asked as he was pulled along to the second floor.

"Of course, like I've always said, 'Don't put off till tomorrow what you can do today'."

She raised her hand, knocked on the door, and after they'd been bid to enter, shoved Harry into Ron's room. 


	15. Giving Her What She Wants

Cherished Memories- Chapter 15

Giving Her What She Wants

Disclaimer- I don't own Harry, Ron, Hermione, or any of the other characters. If I did, I'd have all the money and definitely have rewritten that epilogue.

WARNING! This chapter includes a mild slash scene between Harry and Ron, but they're only doing it to give Hermione what she wanted in sing Harry go along with her wishes, even though he goes farther than she expects. (Evil l'il grin) You don't have to read this chapter if you don't want, but the next chapter does mention it.

"Ron, Harry has something that he wants to ask you," Hermione said as soon as they were in the room. Ron looked up from shrinking down the enormous teddy bear he'd won for Luna.

"O.K. What is it?" He lay the now palm sized toy on a chair.

"It's all right," Harry croaked. "It can wait until tomorrow." In his mind he thought, 'Or never.' He turned to flee from the room, but the door slammed shut before he'd gone two steps.

"Harry, you told me that you were going to do this." He groaned silently and slowly turned back to move over to Ron. He mumbled the question as fast as he could just to get it over with.

"What?" Ron asked with a look of confusion. Hermione nudged Harry in the small of his back.

"All right, all right!" he said over his shoulder to her. "I know I said I'd do it, just give me a minute."

He took a deep breath, held it for a second, and buried his face in his hands with a groan before looking back to Ron. His emerald eyes were shining with absolute embarrassment as he asked, louder this time, "Would you let me make out with you?" Ron's jaw dropped. He looked back at Hermione, who nodded, her hands clasped in front of her, pleading with him to agree.

"A-a-are you serious?" Ron asked Harry, still disbelieving what he'd heard. Harry didn't meet his eyes, but nodded. "Hermione, can I talk to you for a second?" Ron pulled Hermione out of the room, closing the door behind them with a snap.

"Ron," she began as they headed down the hall towards her room. "I was trying to tell you what it was that I was wanting to get Harry to do this morning. He inturrupted us and I wasn't able to warn you about what it would be exactly."

"The only thing you told me was that you wanted me to go along with whatever Harry asked. You didn't say that it would involve me making out with him!"

"Well, actually if you'll remember correctly, the discussion went more along the lines that you 'knew' it would be something along these lines. Your exact words were, and I quote, 'You want me to go along with whatever Harry asks me, I don't have any idea what that might include. I don't want to do anything that would cause problems with me and Luna', unquote."

"I thought it would be Harry asking me to do stuff like snogging 'you' or something like that. You didn't tell me it would be 'him'!"

"Ron, please? I'm trying to find out exactly how far he'll go to get me to sleep with him, and I want to know how he feels about me as well."

"Couldn't you just ask him?"

"That's just it, I 'did' ask him. He told me that he felt like he was about to implode. I need to know if he's just in lust with me, or if his feelings go deeper than that." Her eyes began to fill with tears.

"All right, all right," Ron said, repeating Harry's earlier words. "I'll do it, but only because I want you to be happy. I'll do whatever it takes to help you find out how Harry feels about you."

He wrapped his arm around her shoulders and propelled her back to his room. They found Harry standing in the exact same spot he'd been in when they'd left. Now it was Ron's turn to sigh, knowing that he'd probably never be able to look Harry in the eye again without thinking about what they were going to do. Harry looked up as they entered the room, his green eyes flitting between the two of them.  
"O.K., Harry," Ron said, moving to where his friend stood. He closed his eyes when he was in front of him. Harry looked to Hermione, who nodded. He swallowed nervously, moved to close the space between him and the tall redhead, and leaned forward to kiss him. It was over within a second.

"Harry, be serious!" admonished Hermione. "You know what I meant, and it certainly wasn't a tiny little peck." Harry flushed, Ron opened his eyes and turned to her.

"What exactly do you want him to do, then?"

"Everything! I want him to use his tongue, go down your neck, and..." she blushed as she thought of this, "I want him to make you hard." Harry and Ron flew to opposite sides of the room.

"You're kidding, right?" Harry said.

"No, and you agreed to do anything that I asked you to do." She pointed for him to get back over by Ron. He went reluctantly, still not sure that he was going to be able to do this. Hermione sat in a chair in the corner, waiting to see whether the two of them were going to go through with what she asked. Her breath caught in her throat with Harry's next movement. He brought his hands up to Ron's shoulders, ran them down to catch his hands in his own, bringing them up level with their chests. He moved behind Ron, still holding his hands in one of his own, breathing against his neck. Ron jumped when Harry's lips touched him under his ear and his eyes widened, then fluttered closed a second later. Harry was running his tongue along Ron's pulse point, suckling gently at the pale skin. He circled around Ron's body, releasing his hands and took his face in his own. Their lips met, both moaning softly.  
Hermione shifted in her seat. It seemed to her that they had forgotten that the other was male as they continued. She was getting what she'd asked for... and more! She sat bolt upright in the chair when she saw what Harry was doing now. He'd begun to run one hand down Ron's front and was now undoing the fastenings on his friend's jean shorts. Ron made no argument, in fact he started to assist! As soon as the zipper was down, Harry slid his hand inside, stroking the hardening length under his fingers.

Ron made a whimpering sound, and when his mouth opened, Harry's tongue slid inside. Hermione didn't notice that as her gaze was locked on where Harry's hand was. She saw that Ron was becoming increasingly aroused as the seconds passed, and when she glanced over, found that Harry was in the same state. Her eyes flew open to their furthest extent at what happened next. Harry nudged Ron up against the wall and began to slide down to the floor. He used the hand that was inside Ron's shorts to pull him free and started an agonizingly slow hand job.

"Oh my God!" she whispered. Niether one heard her, they were so absorbed in what they were doing. "Holy Shit!"

Harry had done something that surpassed anything that she had been surprised to see him do. He'd actually taken Ron's cock into his mouth! Ron's red haired head fell against the wall and he moaned loudly. Hermione now understood everything that she had ever heard about no one being able to give a man a blow job better than another man.

Harry seemed instinctively to know what would pleasure Ron the most, and used each and every trick to draw out the shudders he sent through his friend. A minute later, Harry pulled off his glasses and engulfed Ron as far as he could take him. Hermione was in absolute shock, and she had to admit, more than a little turned on. She had never thought that the two of them would even go through with the kissing, and now she was witnessing one of the most intimate things that she'd ever seen in her life!

Seconds later, Ron verified that while he was in the most rapturous pleasure he'd known from a blow job, he did still know it was a 'man' giving it to him.

"Oh God, Harry, I'm going to cum," he whispered, his fingers now tangling in Harry's ebony hair. "Don't stop, don't stop." Ron's hips began to jerk and he moaned deep in the back of his throat. "Oohhhhhh, my Go-o-o-od! I'm cumming, Harry!" Hermione's hands flew to her mouth as she watched Harry drink down all of Ron's cum and lick him softly until all spasms had ceased. Ron fell slack against the wall and Harry stood, checking that he didn't have anything around his mouth with his hand. Green eyes turned to Hermione, and blue followed.

"Well, was that what you wanted me to do?" Harry asked. She could only stare at them for a few seconds, her hands still covering her mouth, then she lowered them and cleared her throat.

"Yes, but it was actually 'more' than what I asked for. Not that I'm complaining, but I didn't expect for you to do 'that'!"

"I think you're going to have to tell Luna how you did that, Harry," Ron said weakly. "Although how are you going to explain why it was 'you' that did it?"

"Just tell her we were playing a game and that I was dared to do it," Harry shrugged, putting his glasses back on. Ron straightened up and gave him a strange look.

"Now I have to ask," he said.

"Ask what?" said Harry.

"Are you bi?" Ron finished. Harry laughed.

"No, I'm straight, but I wanted to make sure Hermione got what she wanted."

"Well, I 'did' get that, and more." She looked Harry over, pausing briefly at his still evident arousal with a smile, and a bit of confusion. 'Why,' she wondered to herself, 'If Harry is straight, then why does he have an erection after what happened with Ron?' She raised her eyes back to his face and saw the reason shining in his emerald gaze. He was watching her with a look of barely controled longing. He gave her a small grin and winked at her reminiscently of Ron's winks at Cedar Point that afternoon. She returned the grin and stood.

"Well, I'm going to bed. I'll see you both in the morning." She glanced over her shoulder at Harry as she opened the door and headed out into the hall and returned his wink before disappearing. His grin widened and he bade goodnight to Ron and followed her down the hall. He caught up just as she reached her room, where she turned to face him.

"You know we still have to go to the store," she said. "We don't have too much for breakfast in the morning."

"What, you want to go now?" She smiled and turned to go into her room.

"No." She turned her head to give him a once over. "I want to go to bed." She walked through the door and as she turned around to face him and he thought she was going to close it, she added, "Care to join me?" Harry didn't need asking twice. A huge smile formed on his face and he entered the room, closing the door behind him. 


	16. Getting His Wish

Cherished Memories- Chapter 16

Getting His Wish

Disclaimer- I don't own Harry, Ron, Hermione, or any of the other characters. If I did, I'd have all the money and definitely have rewritten that epilogue.

Hermione wasted no time in jumping on Harry.

"Do you have any idea how much that turned me on?" she breathed in between passionate kisses.

"A bit of one," he answered, wrapping her in his arms. "I saw you looking at me after."

"Well," she said, ending the last kiss and leaning backwards to meet his eyes. "I was sort of worried about that for a bit."

"Why?" He lowered his head to nuzzle her throat.

"Because of what Ron said." Her eyes drifted closed when Harry began suckling on a spot behind her ear.

"What about it?" he whispered, his breath turning her knees to jello.

"Well, you 'did' get hard while you were...um..." He gave her earlobe a nibble that almost made her turn into a pool at his feet, then raised his head to answer her.

"That was because I was thinking of what I wanted to do to you. That never fails to get me going." He resumed his nibbling.

"Then why do you need the magazines?"

"Because I get hard thinking of you, but I can't bring myself to wank off to those thoughts."

"Why not?" she sighed.

"I just can't. The thought of wanking off with the memory of what we had together in my head, and I go completely limp. But thinking of what I want to do to you and I'm like a steel rod again. So I use the pictures in the magazines to get off."

"So what do you want to do to me?"

"Worship your body. I want nothing more than to become your sex slave." Hermione pulled away from him and tugged her shirt over her head. Harry gazed hungrily at the skin that was revealed to him, but especially at what was still covered by the gold and pink bikini top. She undid the tie on her shorts and let them drop to the floor. If the sight of her top this afternoon was enough to show her how much he desired her body, the amount that was not covered by the small triangle and strings at the juncture of her legs caused his now more than noticeable hardness to strain the front of his shorts so badly, Hermione thought the zipper would break.

"I take it you like what you see?" she said, reaching up and undoing the strings around the back of her neck. The top dropped below her breasts and Harry's face contorted with desire and he appeared to be fighting with himself to not touch her. She solved his dilema by moving closer and taking his hands, placing them over her hardening peaks. He moaned and wrapped one of his arms around her, crushing her body to his, undoing the other tie of her top and fusing their mouths together. The hand that was still on her breast tweaked the nipple.

Hermione whimpered under his mouth, and reached for his waistband. His shorts hit the floor seconds later and she ran her hands along his hips, feeling the silky material of the suit he was wearing beneath. She looked down as she undid the tie and the red and silver fabric slid off his hips with a soft whisper. She stepped back and stared at the man standing naked in front of her, then beckoned him to her as she stepped backwards to the bed and climbed up onto it. He crossed to her and joined her in the middle of the bed. She lay back and held out one of the ties at her hip. Smiling down at her as he stretched out next to her he undid it and its mate on her other side. She lifted up to allow him to remove the scrap of material, which he tossed over the edge of the mattress. Hermione captured his hand and drew it to the closely clipped downy curls covering her sex.

"Now you're sure about this?" he asked, caressing her satiny skin.

"Harry James Potter, I have never been so sure of anything in my life." She attempted to pull him on top of her. He let his upper half come over her body, but stopped her from moving him any further. "What's wrong?" she asked.

"Nothing. But now that I'm finally getting to do this again, I intend to do it right and make sure that you enjoy it."

"Did you hear any complaints from me the first time?"

"No, but it was so quick, and I know that you would have liked it more if you could have had more than the one orgasm." He began to move down towards her stomach, licking and nibbling at her breasts and along her rib cage along the way. She realized his intentions and opened her legs farther apart as he reached her womanhood with his kisses. He raised his eyes to hers when he licked the wetness that was seeping from her slit. She gasped, her hands clenching the bed covers as she watched him pleasuring her. Harry brought up one hand and spread her open to allow him to reach her sensitive button with the tip of his tongue. Hermione's back arched slightly, and her breathing hitched.

She couldn't believe the sensations he was sending through her body. She very nearly screamed when he slid a finger into her opening, sliding it back and forth and curving it up to her top wall. For someone who had as little experience as he did, Harry certainly seemed to know what he was doing. She'd read about a spot inside a woman's body that was rumored to bring forth the most explosive orgasms, and he'd definately located hers. She pulled her pillow over her face and let out a piercing shriek that would have shattered all the windows if not for being muffled. She felt him tugging at the pillow a second later and realized he'd left her quivering sex and come back up alongside her.

She handed it over and sat up, her breath still coming in gasps, nudged him onto his back and proceeded to do the same thing to him. She'd also read about an extremely sensitive spot on a man's member that would send him almost through the ceiling, and she was determined to find Harry's. But no matter how much she searched around his stiff shaft, she was unsuccessful. She was beginning to get frustrated when Harry took hold of her hand and slid it up to the head. She looked up into his face questioningly.

"I know what you're looking for," he said, panting lightly. "It's right under the head. Still a bit difficult to find, but you're closer to it there."

He removed his hand to let her explore some more and returned to leaning back on his elbows to watch her. She leaned down to lick his tip, not breaking eye contact with him. Her tongue circled around his crown and she was gratified to hear him hiss in pleasure, even if she hadn't found that spot yet. Harry watched as she lowered her mouth onto him, his mouth dropping open a bit as he felt the warm wetness surround him. She wrapped him in her hand directly below her mouth and continued her search. It went on for a few more minutes and Hermione was about to write it off as only a rumor, but Harry'd told her that it was under the head, hadn't he?

Just as she was going to give up, Harry's whole body jerked involutarily and he gasped loudly. She looked up to see if she'd finally found it, and he nodded, his jaw clenched with the effort to control himself. Elated, Hermione began to run her tongue over the area she'd been near when he'd jumped. Again, she was unable to find it immediately, but when his hips lept again, she started to center her efforts in a tighter circle. Soon she was going over it with every lap, and finally Harry had to stop her with the words that he was going to fly off the bed if she continued any further.

"But I 'did' find it, didn't I?"

"Oh, yes. You found it repeatedly."

"Good," she giggled, sliding back up along his body. She draped herself across him and nestled him against her wetness. "So, do you want to do the charm or should I?"

"You'd better do it," Harry groaned, feeling her slickness starting to coat him. "I would probably get the incantation wrong and end up giving you chicken pox or something." She summoned her wand to her, and sitting up on his hips, eliciting another groan from him, she said the charm and tossed her wand aside.

"I want to be on top this time," she whispered, reaching between them to take hold and guide him into place, then slid down onto his length. She bit her lip and clenched her eyes shut.

"Oh, Merlin! You're still as tight as you were at Hogwarts!"

"I should hope so. You 'are' the only one I've done this with. By the way, you feel incredible too." She began to move slowly, sighing her pleasure as she did. "Oh, Harry," she moaned, dropping her chin to her chest.

"Hermione," he said. "Look at me. I want to see your eyes when you cum." She raised her head, and seeing his expression of lust, proceeded to do exactly what he wanted.

"Harry, oh my God, Harry, aaaaAAAAHHHH!" she yelled, and Harry felt her clench down on him.

"Yes, baby, cum for me," he muttered huskily as another began, then another until she was in a starburst of nerve endings and was nearly a puddle on Harry's lap. Just when she thought she wouldn't be able to take anymore, he rolled the two of them over and thrust slowly in and out of her, causing yet another orgasm to course through her. "Cum for me, Hermione," he repeated in her ear. She wrapped her arms under his, her hands on his shoulders, and encircled his waist with her legs. "I want you to cum as many times as you can. You only got one our first time, and I want you to know that you have as much right to the pleasure as I do."

"Oh, Harry!" she moaned as still another orgasm hit. "I...Ohhhh, God! I know I have just as much right as you do. Trust me. I felt the pleasure 'through' you back at Hogwarts. I saw it in your eyes, and heard it in your voice when you came...Oh, Oh, Oh, OH, MY GOD!" Harry picked up the pace to enhance her experience. She began trembling all over, moaning that she wouldn't be able to take much more when Harry started to feel the familiar sensation of his own orgasm approaching.

"Hermione, I'm going to..." he started. She brought a hand to his sweaty face, brushed his hair back from his forehead, and softly repeated his words to him.

"Cum for me, Harry." Two more thrusts, and he did just that, with a cry that rivaled her earlier scream. He collapsed on top of her a second after his cry ended. They lay together for a few minutes, then Harry raised his head, his glasses askew.

"That was amazing, love," he whispered, rolling onto his back next to her. Hermione didn't miss his choice of words and wished that it meant more than what it did. Harry sat up, grabbed a light blanket from the chest at the end of the bed, threw it over the both of them, lay back down and gathered her into his arms. She cuddled against him, and choosing to think that even if it was just for this night, Harry Potter loved her as much as she loved him, fell asleep.

Harry lay for a few more minutes, listening to her slow steady breathing, and tried to think of a way to tell her what he'd been unable to deny for years, that he'd been unable to really get on with his life since Hogwarts, and that the reason he'd only been with her was not because she'd been bad in bed, this night should have proven that to her, but that he was completely, totally and absolutely in love with her. 


	17. The Morning After

Cherished Memories- Chapter 17

The Morning After

Disclaimer- I don't own Harry, Ron, Hermione, or any of the other characters. If I did, I'd have all the money and definitely have rewritten that epilogue.

"Good morning, Ron," said Hermione as she entered the kitchen. He looked up from his oatmeal and did a double take. "What?" she asked.

"You've got the same look on your face that Harry had on his when he left this morning. Now when I asked 'him' about it, he said that he'd had a major breakthrough in one of his cases. And as you don't have the same career as him, you can't say the same thing, so what's up?"

"Absolutely nothing. Nothing, Ron!" she repeated when he gave her a look of absolute disbelief, blushing when he scrutinzed her more closely.

"You did it again, didn't you?"

"Did what?" she asked, turning away and crossing to the refrigerator to get some breakfast.

"You and Harry went to bed with each other last night didn't you? The two of you slept together?"

"Where on earth did you get that idea? Harry and I didn't... How did you know?"

"It wasn't too hard, neither one of you remembered to use a Silencing Charm," Ron grinned.

"You 'heard' us?" She hid her face in her hands. "Oh, no! Now I'm 'really' embarrassed!"

"Like I said, it wasn't hard. You guys 'were' pretty loud," he chuckled.

"Well then, why did you look so surprised to see the expression on my face, and what expression is that, for that matter?"

"I was just leading you on with that bit, the looking surprised. And as for your expression, you and Harry are both wearing the biggest, goofiest grins I've ever seen. That was the other way that I knew. I mean you could have just been watching each other wank off, but you wouldn't have those grins on your faces."

"Then why didn't you catch Harry in it, then?" Hermione asked, taking the last container of yogurt from the fridge, grabbing a spoon and joining him at the table.

"I would have, but he grabbed a bunch of papers off Trina's desk, said he'd be back soon and flew out the door before I 'could' ask any more about it."

"Anything before that?" Hermione was starting to get worried that Harry was running away, thinking he'd made another mistake.

"Well, he 'did' get a phone call. That's what sent him out of here in such a hurry. We were talking about what happened last night, me and him, not you and him, and how we were going to deal with now on, and his phone rang. He answered it, had a small discussion with them, and told them he'd be there as soon as he could and jumped and ran out of here."

"Oh, God. I hope he'll be all right," she said, one hand flying up to her mouth in aggitation.

"What? Why wouldn't he be all right?"

"Ron, get out of it. Harry's a private detective. That's only one step away from a policeman, or in our case, an Auror. His job is extremely dangerous. He faces the chance of getting hurt or killed every time he goes out that door. You know how much I love him, I'm worried about his safety!" She tossed her empty yogurt cup into the trash and put the spoon in the sink. "It would kill me if anything happened to him."

"Well, you 'don't' have to worry about that," said another voice. They turned to see Harry standing in the kitchen doorway. Hermione blushed furiously, but couldn't hide the smile that was mingled relief and rememberance of what had happened last night. "I'm fine," said Harry, moving into the room, his eyes on Hermione as he sat down next to Ron.

"How much of our conversation did you hear, mate?"

"Almost the whole thing. I just got back and was in my office filing a few things. The first thing I heard was Hermione asking how you knew we'd slept together last night and you saying that we'd forgotten a Silencing Charm." He grinned broadly and turned to Ron. "But do you really think I care about how loud we were? The two sexual encounters that I've had with Hermione are enough to make me yell like that, then I'm going to do it. It just means that I'm completely into what I'm doing and am comfortable enough with her to let myself express my full arousal." His gaze returned to Hermione, who he studied closely. "Are you really worried about my safety?"

"Yes," she replied softly, knowing now that he'd heard her saying that she loved him. She could only hope that he took it to be that she meant only as friends. She didn't want to ruin their friendship because he knew she loved him in more than a platonic sense. He grinned even more widely. Ron stood and put his bowl in the sink, patting Hermione on the arm as he excused himself to get dressed. Hermione was about to do the same minutes after he left, and had even moved towards the door when Harry stopped her.

"Hermione, can you tell me something?"

"Yes, Harry?" She inwardly cringed, knowing what was coming. Sure enough, Harry's next words confirmed her fear that he had indeed heard her.

"Do you really love me?"

"Of course, you're my friend." Harry felt his heart break a little.

"So it's nothing more than that?"

"Dammit," he heard her mutter. She closed her eyes, opened them again and shook her head. "No Harry, it 'is' more than that. I love you with every fiber of my being. I love you more than life itself and have since fourth year at Hogwarts. I am 'desperately' in love with you. That's half of the reason that I came to find you in the first place. I was going to tell you when we were on the train, but you'd left during the night and I had no idea where you'd gone." She stopped talking and holding her breath, waited for his response. He stood, came around the table to stand right in front of her.

"Thank God!" he said, taking her into his arms. She went ridgid with shock. Harry stepped back and holding onto her shoulders, asked, "Do you want to know how I feel?" She nodded slowly, afraid of what he was going to say. He smiled ecstatically. "I feel the same way about you." She looked up in astonishment. "I was so worried about you that last weeks at school, that I couldn't stay in Gryffindor tower without wanting to kiss you senseless. But when I saw you crying by the window every day, I knew that I had to think of you. So I tried to help you by getting you to talk about how you felt, and brought you food. I mean your parents had died and I was more concerned about what was in my heart than how you were dealing with their deaths.  
"Then that last night, I was wandering the corridors, thinking about what I was going to do with my life and how I was going to live it without you in it, and found myself back at Gryffindor tower. Ron fell out of the portrait hole, and the two of us went down to the Hog's Head to get that Firewhiskey, they gave it to us without a problem, and carted it back to the tower. I did a shot of it and saw you sitting in your usual spot by the window and knew I had to do something. I made one last attempt to get you to talk to me about your feelings and to get you to eat more than half a sandwich. And I was telling the truth when I gave you that shot of Firewhiskey to calm you down. I mean, let's face it, you were starting to hyperventilate.

"When you took the bottle from me and then told me to get you some food if it would make me feel better, I jumped at the chance to do anything you asked, and get you to eat at the same time. But you hurried out of the common room, and I had to go after you. I wasn't going to let you out of my sight until I talked to you this time. Well, you know the rest up until we got back to the tower. After you went up to bed I sat thinking about how wonderful what we'd shared was but that you would think it was a mistake in the morning. I acted a coward and ran off because I was afraid of how I thought you were going to treat me the next day, and I still hadn't been able to tell you that I was head over heels in love with you."

"Oh, Harry," Hermione said, tears standing in her chocolate eyes. She opened her arms and he stepped into them, wrapping her in his own.

"Does that mean you're still going out to dinner with me tonight?"

"Of course," she laughed. "And afterwards..."

"Your room or mine?" he chuckled, lowering his head into the best kiss they'd shared to date. 


	18. Harry's Date With Hermione

Cherished Memories- Chapter 18

Harry's Date With Hermione

Disclaimer- I don't own Harry, Ron, Hermione, or any of the other characters. If I did, I'd have all the money and definitely have rewritten that epilogue.

"So where are we going, Harry?" He reached across the seat and took her hand, bringing it to his mouth and kissing her knuckles. She felt a shiver of happiness run through her. This was 'her' boyfriend sitting next to her, the man she loved and who loved her.

"Fort Wayne," he answered, backing the car out of the driveway and heading towards town. Hermione ran the hand that he'd just released along the side of his neck, drawing a smile from him. He leaned his head closer to her, obviously craving her touch. She complied with a giggle, threading her fingers through his unrully hair.

"I take it you like this?" she said when he moved even closer to her hand. He reached up, captured her hand again, and brought it back to his lips.

"You bet I do. I thought I would never be able to tell you how much I loved you, much less hear that you loved me as well, and be taking you out to dinner."

"Speaking of which, where exactly are we going in Fort Wayne?" He turned to look at her, kissing her knuckles one last time.

"It's a surprise. Now hang on. Our reservations are in about twenty minutes, so we're going to have to Portkey there." He stepped lightly on the gas and Hermione felt the long familiar pull from behind her navel. This time though, she wondered if the sensation didn't have more to do with the way Harry made her feel. Ten minutes later, they were pulling up to a restaraunt in a shopping area called Jefferson Pointe, and as soon as he'd parked the car, Harry jumped out and headed around to her side to help her out. He held out his arm for her to take, and led the way into Eddie Merlot's.

"That was wonderful, Harry," Hermione said two hours later when they were back in the car and heading back to Harry's house.

"You're welcome, but I should be the one thanking you for coming with me, and for loving me."

"Thank-you for loving 'me'," she said, leaning closer to him and kissing his cheek. They hit a pothole and Hermione's hand dropped down to his lap to keep herself from falling onto him. She sat up and realized that she had inadvertently landed her hand on his crotch, and found that he was reacting instantly. "Sorry, Harry," she mumbled, yanking her hand away intstantly. He took hold of it before she got more than a few inches and placed it firmly on its former position.

"Don't you dare take it away. You do that to me," he pressed her fingers more tightly against his forming erection, "And I want you to continue doing it. He moaned and clenched the steering wheel tightly when she squeezed him gently. He was only able to go a few more miles and was hard as a diamond. He knew he wasn't going to be able to last until they reached home. "Hang on," he whispered to her, and pressed the gas pedal down. Within a minute, they were in the driveway and Harry was holding Hermione's car door open for her. As soon as she was standing, Harry swept her into his arms, kicked the car door shut, and was carrying her up to the front step. The door opened of its own accord and Hermione giggled.

"Been working on your nonverbal magic?" A grin and a kiss as he kicked this door shut as well, and he started up the stairs with her. He kicked a third door shut when they'd entered his room and he set her down on his bed.

"You liked that bit with the door?" he asked, stepping back to the middle of the room. "How about this?" He pulled his wand from his pocket and waving it in the air, the room was instantly bathed in candle light, soft music floated from a stereo by the closet and their clothes had completely disappeared. Hermione's eyes widened with astonishment.

"Very impressive!" she said as he moved to the bed and slid onto it and behind her. She leaned back into him as he wrapped his arms around her chest under hers and cupped her breasts, his index and middle fingers teasing her nipples to hard little pebbles while he nuzzled her neck. "And so is this," she sighed, her hands sliding around behind her to grasp his erection and hearing his hiss of desire, ran her nails along the underside. He shivered at her touch, his fingers contracting around her nipples. She pulled forward away from him, turned and had him lay against the pillows. She straddled his hips and ran her hands across his chest, gently massaging each of the muscles that she encountered.

"Tell me something, Harry, do you play Quidditch at all anymore?"

"Not much, like I've said, not really a whole lot of a chance to. Why?"

"Because you have the most amazing physique. I was thinking that if you aren't doing Quidditch, then you must be doing 'something' to keep this fabulous body."

"You already know what I do to stay in shape, Love. My job, the house..., of course I've just gotten a new exercise routine, though."

"And what is that?" she smiled down at him. Harry lifted her by her hips and turned over so that she was now beneath him.

"Well, one part of it is excercising my tongue and jaw a bit." He slid down between her legs, pulled them over his shoulders, and began to make dessert out of her. She gasped, loving the way his tongue traveled between her sensitive nub and rapidly dampening entrance.

Her hands found the top of his head, grasped his dark tresses in her fingers. Her eyes closed tightly, she bit her lip, tightened her legs around his shoulders and dug her heels into the small of his back. He was making her feel things she'd never felt before, even when she was with him the night before. She knew that it had to be because the two of them were now a couple, and having admitted that they were in love with each other, they were even more comfortable in the way that they showed their feelings. Harry lifted his head a minute later, and stopped Hermione when she made to return the favor he'd just given her.

When she inquired why, he said, "I need to get a bit more exercise with my mouth." He began leaving a trail up her stomach, licked the turgid peaks of her rosy breasts, finally reaching his destination when he arrived at her lips. She moaned as his tongue entered her mouth, and she tasted her essence, it nearly drove her mad with wanting him. Fortunately, he had no intention of making her wait, and slid his hard penis deep into her tight body.

"That's not your mouth, Harry." She smiled up at him and entwined her limbs around his frame as he began to move in and out of her, his pace slow and languid.

"That's enough of a workout for my mouth, now it's time for the rest of me." He rotated his hips and Hermione groaned softly as his pubic bone ground against her clit, she couldn't hold back anymore and let the feeling of the stream of orgasms that threatened ride through her trembling body. Harry lifted up onto his elbows to watch her face, quickening his pace to help her pleasure reach its peak. Her ecstasy went on for more than five minutes, and she was afraid she was going to pass out before it was over. Harry decided to torture her even more and got up onto his knees, slid a pillow beneath her backside and began to pound into her with an abandon that he'd been fighting since the first time they'd been together three years previous. He now felt that he was allowed to give in to his passions.

Hermione made no complaints, instead started to grind her hips into his with every thrust. She seemed to know exactly what he wanted, what he needed from her and a few more minutes later, he literally screamed as he began shooting his essence into her. She wrapped him in her arms again when he lowered himself back down to her, panting harshly and his heart beating like a hummingbird's.

"Are you all right?" she asked.

"Never better," he gasped, rolling onto his side and resting his head on her breast. She tightened her grip on his shoulders. He was beginning to fall asleep and wanted to say one last thing to her before he was no longer able.

"Hermione, I'll never love anyone but you. I love you so much that I have not been able to think about another woman since Hogwarts. Please, I need to know if we're ever ready to make the commitment, that you'll be my wife and the mother of my children?" He didn't hear her answer as he was asleep the next second. 


	19. End Of A Case And Time To Go Home

Cherished Memories- Chapter 19

End Of A Case And Time To Go Home

Disclaimer- I don't own Harry, Ron, Hermione, or any of the other characters. If I did, I'd have all the money and definitely have rewritten that epilogue.

"Harry, do you have a minute?" Trina spoke from the door of his office. He looked up and nodded, then put his pen down.  
"What's up?"

"Well, there's a problem with the Jeffrey Mills case."

"What could be wrong?" Harry retorted, waving her off. "I've given Mr. Carle's lawyer all the evidence against Jeffrey, the court date is scheduled for next week, there is no bail, so unless he kills himself, there's nothing he can do to make problems."

"That's just it, Harry...Jeffrey was found in his cell this morning. He'd slit his wrists with a steak knife." Her employer's face drained of all color.  
"Oh, no," he whispered.

"Morgan and her father just called and told me. She was in hysterics. I was only able to get it out of them after she'd stopped sobbing. For the first part of the conversation the only thing that I understood was 'he was willing to do anything to escape'."

"So it would seem. Dammit!" He slammed his fist onto his desktop. "Once we got him convicted, we were going to get the names of the others involved in the embezzlement." He stood up and faced the window. "Now we're going to have to go through all the books and follow every lead again."

"Well, that's the one bright thing in this hole he threw us in. After they'd heard of his suicide, two of his accomplices turned themselves in, hoping to get a lesser charge now that he's not going to be protecting them anymore. They're being held for arraignment scheduled for tomorrow morning, so Mr. Carle says he doesn't need you to testify at the moment, but you should still be ready of that changes." Harry nodded, Trina turned and left. He continued to stare blankly out the window until he heard a quiet knock at the door. Turning, he saw the one person that could make him happy at that moment.

"Am I inturrupting anything?" Hermione asked.

"No, Trina just told me that Jeffrey Mills commited suicide last night."

"Oh, my God!" she said, raising a hand to her heart. "What does that do to your case?"

"Amazingly, not much. Two of his accomplices turned themselves in. They'll be able to get all the information about the embezzlement from them. The only part that bothers me is that he's not going to do the time he deserves for the hell he put Morgan through!" He crossed the room and took Hermione in his arms, holding her tightly. "But enough about that. How has your day been?"

"Better now that I've seen you. You want some dinner? Ron and I made lasagna and salad."

"Sure. I just have to put this away," he walked to the desk and picked up the file he'd been working on. "Could you tell Trina we're done for the night?"

"O.K. See you in a bit?" Harry nodded and went back to her to get a kiss, then swatted her on her bum as she left. She giggled and shot him a look of amusement. He put the file in his desk drawer, noticing the copy file of the evidence against Jeffrey. "You damn son of a bitch," he muttered, slamming the drawer shut. He heard Hermione saying good-night to Trina, the front door shut and he headed out to join his girlfriend and Ron for dinner.

That Friday, Harry was sitting in the living room watching television and heard Ron and Hermione talking as they came down the stairs. From the sound of it, they were carrying something heavy. Curious, he got up from the sofa and went to see what was up. He found them at the bottom of the staircase, both carrying their suitcases.

"What's going on?" he asked, his brow furrowing. Hermione turned and squealing at the sight of him, put her case down and hurried to his side.

"We're heading to Defiance soon," she said. "You'd better get a move on."

"A move on for what? Why are you going to Defiance?"

"Our Portkey to London leaves at four," Ron told him. Hermione nodded, grinning.

"I can't wait to show you my flat, Harry. It's small, but there's enough room for the both of us there, that is unless you want to find a place of your own for a while."

"Hang on. What do you mean, Portkey and show me your flat?"

"Harry, mate, we're going back to England today. We said that last week," Ron said uneasily.

"And since we're together now, you're going back with us, aren't you?" Hermione asked, hugging Harry's waist.

"Um...no, actually." Hermione stiffened in surprise and released him.

"What?" she asked, confused.

"Well, I'd completely forgotten about you leaving this week, I thought you were going to be here for a while longer." He looked between the two of them. "And I can't just up and go to London. I have all these files I have to get ready for the trial in Toledo, and anyway, there's nothing for me in London."

"Nothing for you in London?" Hermione whispered, shocked. Ron had a look on his face that told Harry he must be crazy. "How can you say that? 'I' live in London. Doesn't that fact give you any incentive to want to go back? Don't you want to be with me?"

"Of course I want to be with you, Hermione, but why can't you stay here?"

"Because my home is in England. And so is my job, Harry."

"My job and home are 'here', so what's the difference?"

"The difference is that 'my' job is with the Ministry of Magic. I love it and have absolutely no desire to leave it. And I told you that Ron and I had come here to take you home."

"Well, you wasted your time. I'm not going back. I mean, back to what? No privacy, because the media won't leave me alone, everyone knowing who I am and all that? No thanks." He turned away from them. Hermione began to sniffle.

"All right, fine, Harry Potter," she spat. "If I mean that little to you that you won't even take my living in England and our relationship as compensation for you 'being bothered' by the Daily Prophet and the more than grateful magical population, then I don't have anything more to say to you, except good-bye and I hope you have a nice life! I'll see you at the Portkey, Ron." He heard her Disapperate, but didn't turn around.

"What did you just do? Have you lost your mind?" Ron cried as soon as she was gone.

"Ron, it's more for Hermione that I don't want to return. I want to save her from all the stress of the constant attention. She would never get away from it in London, you know that."

"Harry, Hermione doesn't give two figs about the attention she would get about being with you. Don't you understand? She loves you, and that's all that matters to her." Harry heard his friend pick up Hermione's suitcase. "And in case you've forgotten, she and I have both recieved a 'lot' of press coverage and attention from other witches and wizards since first year. Just because we knew you and were your friends. Think about that one for a while." There was another soft pop, and silence.

Harry turned around, knowing Ron was gone. An emptiness formed in the pit of his stomach. He sat on the stairs with his head in his hands, feeling more alone now than he had in the last three years. 


	20. Happy Ending

Cherished Memories- Chapter 20

Happy Ending

Disclaimer- I don't own Harry, Ron, Hermione, or any of the other characters. If I did, I'd have all the money and definitely have rewritten that epilogue.

Christmas Eve-

Harry shook the snow out of his hair and started up the stairs. He muttered the number Ron and Luna had given him as he walked along the hall of the next floor, finding the flat almost at the end. Taking a deep breath, he raised a hand and knocked on the door.

"Just a minute!" came Hermione's voice from inside the flat. A minute later, Harry heard her soft gasp and knew she must have been looking out the peephole at him.

"Hermione, please open the door," he pleaded. With a stifled groan, she unlocked the door and cracked it open.

"Harry, what are you doing here, and what do you want?" She peered at him from behind the door.

"I came to see you, of course."

"Why?"

"Well, because I love you, and when you and Ron left back in June, I thought about everything that had happened and what you both said for a long time. One night, I woke up from the strangest dream." He brushed snow from his coat and pulled off his gloves. "May I come in?" Fear shone in Hermione's eyes.

"Um... now's really not a good time, Harry," she blurted. "The flat's a mess and I'm getting a headache." She raised a hand to her forehead to emphasize this.

"Oh. Well, I can say what I need to from out here, I guess." He glanced round himself at the corridor, feeling distinctly that he was being watched by some of Hermione's nosier neighbors. "I wanted to tell you about my dream." She snorted derisively.

"You wouldn't come to London for me or our relationship, but you 'will' to tell me about a dream you had?"

"Only partially." He looked past her into the flat. "Are you sure I can't come in?" Apprehension appeared on her face for a moment.

"O.K.," she said finally. "Hang on a second." She closed the door and Harry grinned. She couldn't still be 'completely' mad at him if she was going to let him in. The door opened a minute later and Hermione, covered from neck to foot in a bulky quilt, beckoned him into her home. He stepped inside and immediately wondered why the blanket. It was warm enough that she shouldn't need it. He didn't mention it though, just looked around at her pin neat home.

"Some mess," he chuckled.

"What? Oh, that. Well, you know how I am. One speck of dust and I think the world's ending." She gestured to the sofa in front of a large window. They sat and Harry was struck by how nervous she seemed.

"You O.K.?" he asked. Hermione jumped, and attempted to cover by adjusting the quilt.

"Of course, I'm fine. Now tell me about your dream."

"Well," Harry began, glancing at her out the corner of his eye, "It started when I was back at the Dursley's before seventh year. They were going into hiding, and you, Ron, Moody, Fred, George- well, a bunch of people- six of you changed into me using Polyjuice Potion, Moody made me yank out my hair, and we left in seven groups of two. We split up as soon as we took off, each group going off in a different direction, and we were attacked by Death Eaters almost immediately. I was with Hagrid on Sirius's old motorbike and when they came after me, Hagrid used something that made us go really fast in an attempt to get away from them. I used any jinx that I could think of to get them off our tail, but it was no use. They shot Killing Curses at us, trying to get Hagrid, they missed, but hit Hedwig. I lost her and my Firebolt a minute later because the sidecar that I was in broke away from the bike and it turned upside down. I was only able to save my rucksack.

"Well, Hagrid pulled me onto the bike with him, and let me tell you, there was 'very' little room for me, but I kept shooting curse after curse over my shoulder at them. Anyway, Voldemort came after us when I disarmed Stan Shunpike, he was under the Imperius Curse, and Hagrid and I were 'really' in for it then. We just made it to our destination and Voldemort couldn't follow us through the protections that were surrounding Tonks's parents' house. From there we took a Portkey to the Burrow, where we all were to meet. George lost an ear because of Snape and his Sectumsempra curse and Mad-eye died, but everyone else was all right. We stayed there until Bill and Fleur's wedding day, which was the day after my birthday, and had to flee the party right afterwards as Scrimgeour was killed and Death Eaters started to show up at the Burrow. Hermione, are you listening to me?" She started and fidgeted under the quilt.

"Yes, Harry, I'm listening. We had to leave the Burrow after the wedding, go on." Harry stared at her for a minute, wondering if it was his sudden appearence after six months that was making her so jumpy, or if she was falling ill.

"You sure you're all right?" he asked, reaching out to touch her. She cringed, retreating to the opposite end of the sofa when his hand came in contact with her upper thigh.

"Yes, yes, I told you, I was getting a headache." She gave him a smile that didn't reach her eyes. "Go on with your story."

"Well, you, Ron and I Apperated to London and were hidding out in Grimmauld Place, and this should have been one of the places I realized this was a dream, because Kreacher got all nice after I gave him the fake Horcrux that Sirius's brother Regulus, he was R.A.B., left in the cave I went to with Dumbledore. Kreacher told us Mundungus had taken the 'real' locket and we went to the Ministry of Magic after he told us that Umbridge had it. So it was back to the Polyjuice Potion and you had to sit next to her for the interrogations of the Muggle-Born Registration Commission. We got seperated due to who we'd changed into, and what department we worked for. But I think that helped us find what we were looking for and I managed to get Moody's magical eye back. Umbridge had taken it when the Ministry had recovered his body, and we couldn't trust the Ministry, 'cause Voldemort had taken it over." He stopped again and stood up to take off his coat. "You know it's really warm in here, aren't you hot under that blanket?"

"No," Hermione said firmly, drawing it tighter around her shoulders. "I'm quite chilly, really." Harry saw a bead of sweat make its way down her temple and knew she was lying to him, but had no idea why. "Is that the end of your dream?"

"No, of course not. It went on for a long time. We barely got away from the Ministry and Ron was splinched in the process. Someone had gotten ahold of us when we were Apperating to Grimmauld place and we 'really' had to go into hiding from there. You'd retrieved the locket, though."  
"Ron got splinched? Was he O.K.?"

"Oh, yeah. I was getting to that. You had me get Essance of Dittany from this little handbag you'd charmed with an undetectable expansion charm. You had loads of stuff in there, all our clothes, books, Phineas Nigellus's portrait from Grimmauld Place, you name it. One of the things was the tent we stayed in for a long time, the one from the Quidditch World Cup, moving from place to place. Each time we stopped, we had to put a load of protective spells around the area we were in. Ron left us around October or early November due to that blasted locket. We'd been taking turns wearing it, you see, and because it was a Horcrux, it was making us all angry and mean. But we were better when we didn't have it on, just irritable from being hungry. Of course, having lived with the Dursley's I was used to it, and you weren't too bad when you weren't wearing the locket, but Ron... he was downright nasty! He'd never had to go hungry in his life, and was now living in a tent, surviving on what we could find to eat and ninety percent of the time, that wasn't much."

"What do you mean, 'ninety percent of the time'?" Hermione inturrupted.

"Well, we had some Muggle money, and other times we would steal food, but it was only when we were close to a town. Anyway, he left and you cried for a week straight," He glanced sideways at her. "'Cause you two were together." This gained him an astonished look.

"You mean 'Ron' and I were together? But he's with Luna. Has been since the middle of seventh year. They're 'married', Harry."

"I know that. Remember, what I'm telling you was all just a dream." He went on for a long time, telling her how Ron had destroyed the locket with the sword of Gryffindor when he'd returned and found Harry in a freezing pool of water attempting to get that same sword, about how he (Harry) and Hermione had visited Godric's Hollow and had once again narrowly escaped Voldemort on Christmas Eve, how they'd lost their tent and ended up in Malfoy Manor, about how Harry's Invisibility Cloak had been connected with Marvolo Gaunt's ring that Dumbledore had destroyed, as well as to Dumbledore's wand, how the items that the three of them had been left in the late Headmaster's will came in more than a little bit handy, and by the time he was nearing the end of his story, it was dark outside and the sounds of traffic were coming less and less.

"And with that, it was over. Voldemort's curse rebounded on him and killed him entirely. There were no more horcruxes and he was finished. We were all finally free from his tyranny and the fear that had been running our lives since his return. I used the Elder wand to repair my own and put it behind Dumbledore's portrait. The Elder wand, not mine, of course. The final thing that I saw was years later. Ginny and I were heading to Platform 9 . We were married and had three children." He noticed a sudden flash in Hermione's eyes. "Two boys and a girl. We met up with you and Ron, you were also married and had two kids. We got the ones that were going to Hogwarts on the train and Ginny told me that our younger son was going to be fine and I told her that I knew he would be while I was rubbing my scar. Then I woke up." He waited a few minutes for her response.

"Well, that was quite a dream, Harry." She looked at the clock. It said a quarter to seven. She stood up and walked to the door, opened it up and turned back to him. "I'm sure you've got to get back to your home and life in America, so don't let me keep you any longer." Harry knew she was dismissing him and stood.

"That's just it, Hermione. That dream made me really think. It was totally different from what really happened, but when I woke up I was crying. It didn't take me long to realize why. It was because I'd been so stupid! I'd made the biggest mistake of my life when I'd let you leave my house that day. I got up and finished my job with Morgan's dad, then started what I had to do to transfer the rest of my cases to other investigators."

"Harry, please," Hermione broke across him. "Just go home..."

"I can't. I don't have a house anymore."

"What?"

"I don't have the house anymore. I gave it to Trina and her husband when they got married in August. I stayed there until the transfer was finished about two weeks ago, and then moved to Colonial Manor while I waited for my flight to London. I arrived this morning. I'm staying at the Leaky Cauldron. Ron and Luna don't even know I'm here. Funny thing is, I told you I didn't want any attention from the media, but I found that it didn't bother me in the least when people started coming up to me as soon as I had arrived in Diagon Alley. The only thing that I've been able to think of since you left has been getting here and seeing you so I could apologize."

Hermione looked out into the hall with a sigh. Harry picked up his coat and moved towards it. He'd said what he'd come to. Now it was up to her. The door slammed shut in front of him just as he reached her. She walked to the middle of the room and turned to face him.

"Harry, I love you desperately, but I have to know that you're going to be there. I don't want to wake up one morning and find that you've run off again." She looked down, and her eyes shined with tears in the lights from her Christmas tree when she raised her head. "Can you honestly promise me that?" He nodded at once.

"Yes. I want to be here with you. Forever. I'm not going anywhere, Hermione. I'm going to be here so much, you'll get sick of me and kick my ass out your front window." She laughed, a tear sliding down her cheek. "I'm sorry I didn't get you a Christmas present, but like I said, I was only thinking about getting here to you. Ron and Luna sent me an owl a while back telling me your address, but also said that you wouldn't accept anything from me, so I knew that I had to show up on your front steps and let it go from there. Whether you slammed the door in my face or let me in and heard me out, I didn't care. I got to see you again."

"I have a present for you," she whispered, her eyes overflowing. The tears rolled down to her smile. "I just wasn't sure that I was going to be able to give it to you."

"You didn't have to buy me anything. Especially after the way I acted."

"I didn't buy it." She looked down again. "And I'm still in the process of making it. It won't be ready for a while yet. Would you like to see it?" Harry nodded. "Sit down." He sat on the sofa and waited. Hermione slowly shrugged the heavy quilt that she'd been in all this time off her shoulders and let it fall to her feet. Harry's eyes nearly fell out of his head.

"Oh my God!" he whispered, standing up and crossing to her. "How? When?"

"That night we went to Eddie Merlot's. We didn't think to be careful, remember?" Harry reached out and ran his hand across Hermione's swollen stomach, the being inside striking back against his palm. "Did you feel that?" she whispered.

"Yes," he replied, his voice choked with tears of joy.

"That's your baby saying hello." Harry dropped to his knees and threw his arms around her. She laughed as he began kissing her stomach.

"Harry! What are you doing?"

"Hermione, I love you so much. And I love this child. I didn't tell you the last part of what I wanted to because I didn't know if you were going to kick me out yet, but it was that I wanted to make a baby with you, so that our love would be immortalized." He resumed kissing where their child was growing, standing a minute later and swinging her around in his arms.

"I have never been so happy!" he crowed as she squealed. He set her back on the floor and reached into his pocket. "Only one thing could make me happier. And I have to admit, I lied." He pulled out a small box, opening it and showing her what was inside. She gasped at the ring he pulled out. "I did buy you a Christmas present. Hermione, will you marry me?" She began crying so hard, she could only nod.

Harry grinned and slid the ring onto her finger. She grasped his head in her hands and kissed him repeatedly, pulling him down to the abandoned blanket.

Several hours later, Hermione lay stroking Harry's dark hair, and listening to his deep even breathing. She smiled as the clock began chiming midnight. She kissed his forehead, he cuddled more closely to her, his arm tightening around under her bare breasts. She brushed his hair back, the large diamond glittering in the lights from the tree. She smiled at the surprise everyone was going to get when they arrived in the morning.

"Merry Christmas, Hermione," Harry mumbled, half asleep. She kissed his warm lips and snuggled under the quilt.

"Merry Christmas, Harry."

"I love you." He drifted off again.

"I love you, too," she replied. "Forever." 


End file.
